Heaven's Little Angels Have A Dark Side
by ImpalaAngel13
Summary: AU, post S7. All that Castiel and Gabriel wished was that Heaven would leave them alone to be with humans on Earth, but Heaven wouldn't let them go that easily. Slash, Sam/Gabriel, Dean/Castiel.
1. With These Broken Wings

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these wonderful, gorgeous boys. Kripke gets all the fun.**

**Warning: Slash, boy-kissing, language**

**Also: Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine.**

**Heaven's Little Angels Have A Dark Side**

It was three 'o'clock in the morning, and Dean Winchester couldn't sleep.

He had been surfing the channels for hours, bored ever since Casa Erotica had stopped playing. Now, with his Sasquatch of a brother snoring like a freaking chainsaw in the next bed over, Dean settled on Chiller, the channel with all of the horror shows about overly dramatized monsters. He leaned back and turned up the volume, smiling at the sound of tortured screams while leafing through an old copy of his favorite magazine, _Busty Asian Beauties_.

A sudden rustle interrupted his amusement. Immediately, Dean shot out of the crappy motel bed, snatching the sawed off shotgun and knife from under his pillow. He looked wildly around, not even recognizing the familiar sound.

"Dean."

The raspy voice rang out past the sound of the horror movie. Dean whirled to see a broken and bloody Castiel half slumped against the wall. "Dammit, Cas, what the hell did you do to yourself?" Dean whisper-yelled, falling to his knees before his injured angel.

"The angels are getting restless," Cas answered, wincing with obvious pain as he moved to sit down completely, his back just barely touching the wall. "They knew that I've been rebelling, and they found their own form of punishment for me."

"Cas, what the hell did they do to you?" Dean asked dangerously. "What did those dicks do to you?"

Cas looked up, his bright cerulean eyes burning with pain. "My wings, Dean," he whimpered, and Dean flinched at seeing such a vulnerable side of his angel.

"What about your wings?"

"Look what they did," the bloodied angel rasped, and suddenly Dean could see the massive black wings, stretching out to span massive lengths. They were the most beautiful and breathtaking things he had ever seen, but they were…different.

The glossy black feathers that looked so touchable and soft were all bent and twisted out of place. Some of the joints that linked the wings together were obviously cracked and dislocated. What made Dean the angriest, though, was that in some places, the feathers had been ripped viciously out of their home on the wings, revealing bare and shivering bones. "Holy freaking shit, Cas," Dean murmured, tentatively running his hand across the top of one wing. For a moment, the angel closed his eyes at the gesture, letting out a blissful sigh as his sensitive wings were touched by a human for the first time ever.

"Dean, I need you to help me fix them," Castiel said, glancing up at the hunter. "You're the best human I know that could do it. And…" he trailed off, looking suddenly ashamed.

"And what?"

Cas looked up again. "And I trust you with my life," he answered. "So, please, help me."

Dean sighed, staring long and hard at the angel he loved so much that it hurt. "Of course," he finally replied. "Get on my bed and get comfy. It looks like we'll be here for a while."

* * *

><p>It was four 'o' clock in the morning, and Castiel couldn't breathe.<p>

Partly because he was in intense physical pain from his damaged wings. But he also was captivated by the sight of Dean Winchester painstakingly sewing him up. His strong, callused, time-worn hands wove between the split feathers, carefully guiding them back into place with as little pain on Castiel's part as possible. Castiel, for the first time in the endless millenia that he called life, felt at home.

He bit back a sudden scream of pain as Dean gently snapped a wing joint bact into place, though he couldn't help arching his back in an involuntarily reaction to the intense pain and pleasure he felt as his human carefully mended his fragile, sensitive wings.

"Easy, Cas."

_Dean._ Cas couldn't help but sigh as he heard the soothing sound of his human's voice pulling him back from the blackness of the unconsciousness that, as an angel, was alien to. "Dean," he groaned quietly, "are you almost done?"

"Just about, Cas. Just hang in there." Suddenly, Dean was right next to him, his hands reaching for the last dislocated joint, right by Cas's shoulder. Castiel opened his eyes briefly, and he almost gasped as he saw the worried- and was that loving?- look in Dean's captivating emerald eyes.

"Dean," Cas groaned, but even he didn't know if he was pleading for Dean to end the pain...or if he was just begging for Dean.

"Cas." Dean carefully smoothed down the ragged feathers by the messed up joint. "This is gonna hurt the most, but I gotta do this to help you, okay?" He looked down at Castiel, and Cas had to restrain himself from kissing his human right then and there. He nodded.

"Okay, Dean. I trust you."

* * *

><p>It was four 'o' clock in the morning and Dean Winchester couldn't remember a time when he was more in love than he was right then.<p>

He grasped the final joint on Castiel's wing, looking down into the angel's vaguely tearful eyes. "Hold on, Cas," he whispered, and then he yanked the two long bones back into place.

Cas's blue eyes went wild with unimaginable pain, and his right hand shot up to grab Dean's upper arm. All at once, Dean felt electricity coursing through his body, raging like wildfire in his veins. He, too, gasped out like Castiel, but neither one of them knew if it was from pleasure or pain. Dean glanced to where Castiel had grasped his arm when he was in pain, and he realized that his angel had grabbed the mark that he had made when...

"You gripped me tight and raised me from Perdition," he whispered, and suddenly Cas was lunging at him, enveloping him in his newly healed wings, pressing his soft and hungry lips to Dean's. "Cas," Dean moaned, one hand twisted in the angel's trench coat, the other gripping the back of Cas's neck, fingers pressed in so hard that they were bound to leave bruises.

Dean suddenly pushed Cas back down on the bed with both hands, an unknown emotion glimmering in his heart. _This is wrong. This is so, so, SO wrong, _he thought to himself.

Cas smiled crookedly up at the hunter, his lips already mildly swollen from the intense heat of the kiss they had shared. "Dean," he murmured, "just because it's wrong doesn't mean we can't do it." The angel raised a tip of his black wing and passed it down Dean's cheek, making him shudder.

"Cas-" Dean began, but he abandoned all inhibitions and then they were together, one, equal, same, union, legion-

* * *

><p>It was four 'o' clock in the morning, and Sam slept on, unaware that an angel and his brother were together at last.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! My first Destiel fic! Please review! I need the criticism!<strong>


	2. I Never Believed Until I Met You

**Yay for my second chapter! This is my first multi-chapter story, so it was really fun! Do you want me to do more?**

**Warning: SERIOUS slash, and I threw some Sam/Gabe in just to be mischievous. **

**Chapter 2**

Castiel had lived for millennia, and he knew that he had never experienced emotion. Year in, year out, the obedient little soldier had followed his orders, protecting humanity without truly becoming one of them.

But then he met Dean Winchester.

"Brother," he sighed to Gabriel one night as they sat invisibly in the motel room, watching the Winchesters sleep, "have you ever loved somebody?"

The former Trickster rolled his amber eyes, crossing his legs to face his chair to Cas's. With his solemn-but-not-really face and interlaced fingers, Cas thought that he looked like one of the psychologists on that television thing. "Oh, Cassie," Gabriel replied with mock seriousness, "you of all angels should know that I am completely and utterly in love with Sam Winchester. I mean, I've been screwing the kid for a couple months now!"

"Yes, I know," Cas replied in his usual monotone, "but do you _love_ him?"

Gabriel's smirking face turned stony. "Castiel, I know that you believe that I am incapable of ever actually telling the truth, but I love Samuel Winchester with everything I have in my Grace. I swear to Dad that I truly, deeply love that kid. In fact…" The pint-sized archangel made himself visible and ran to the bed that Sam was sleeping in. "Sasquatch, I'm home!" he squealed, throwing himself onto the massive body.

Sam grunted as his angel's tiny form landed on him, rolling over to kiss him. "Hey, at least you don't call me Sammy anymore," he smiled between kissing Gabriel's neck. "Though I don't think that this new nickname is any better."

The lump that was Dean in the other bed shifted slightly and grunted, "If you call him Sammy, I'll make sure to personally fry your wings extra crispy."

Castiel watched the proceedings with mild interest, observing how his older brother snuggled up close to his massive 6'4" boyfriend. _I wonder if that could be me and Dean someday,_ he thought to himself. But then he sighed inwardly. _Yet he hasn't talked to me since that morning when he fixed my wings and then we…made out, as I believe the humans call it._

A sudden rustle of colossal wings distracted him from his thoughts. Cas looked over at Sam's bed and saw that Gabriel had manifested his massive archangel wings around himself and Sam. The wings seemed to hum with the electricity and power that came from Gabriel's Grace. Cas was confused. He knew that his older brother had never trusted a human so much, and that gesture, as simple as it seemed, was an incredible thing for the archangel to do. _I did that for Dean, _Cas remembered wistfully, _but obviously it wasn't enough._

* * *

><p>An hour later, Gabriel and Sam were sound asleep, wrapped in each other's arms and encircled by the archangel's wings. Castiel still sat in his chair, invisible. He had mastered the skill of sitting still for hours and doing absolutely nothing. He jumped as a sound broke through the rhythmic breathing of his older brother and the younger hunter.<p>

"Cas. I know you're there. It couldn't be more obvious." That was Dean's voice, not even husky with sleep. The hunter had been awake the entire time. "Come on out, man. I promise I won't bite."

Against his better judgement, Castiel let his angelic powers drop their shields, allowing himself to be seen. "What is it, Dean?" he asked quietly, staring at his human emotionlessly.

Dean propped himself up into a sitting, cross-legged position on his bed, not meeting his angel's eyes. His finger traced circles on the bedsheet below him, wrinkling the sheets. "I wanted to talk about...you know, us." He shook his head, chuckling slightly, and then raised his eyes to meet Castiel's. "I know this'll sound totally chick-flickey, but I can't stop thinking about you, Cas. Your impressive little 'I'm-an-angel-of-God-so-fear-my-father's-wrath' thing just, I don't know, wormed its way into my brain. And you're stuck there, Cas. And in my heart-" at this he stood up from the bed, walking slowly towards Cas, "-and in my soul. But you know the one place you aren't in, Cas?" Now he was face to face with his angel, noses almost touching.

"Where, Dean?" Cas whispered, unable to breathe. He was so close to the one he loved...

"In my arms," Dean breathed back, raising his beautiful, gorgeous hand to touch Cas's cheek, "and I think we need to fix that."

Cas nodded slowly, turning his head so that his face would press into Dean's hand. "Me too," he whispered, and then he grabbed his human's shoulders with both his hands, pulling the warm, muscular body towards himself. He then raised his arms, grabbed Dean's face, and kissed him hard on the lips.

Dean kissed back, and for a second the kiss was tender, loving. But then Dean touched his tongue to Cas's lips, and Cas opened his mouth to let him in. From then on, all Castiel could feel was fire and heat. He pushed on Dean's chest with his own, and together they fell backawards onto the bed. Dean lay on his back, and Castiel was pressed against him, his right hand grasping the handprint he'd made on Dean's left arm. Dean's hands were fisted in Cas's trenchcoat. "You're mine," Castiel breathed as he pressed his nails into the hand mark, making Dean gasp in pain and pleasure.

"Cas," he groaned, grabbing his angel's hair and rolling them over so that he was straddling Castiel. "Cas, I..."

Castiel looked up at his hunter, a faint smile on his face as he panted slightly. "What, Dean?" he asked, reaching up to stroke the human's rugged, flushed cheek.

The human's emerald eyes glowed with lust and passion and...something else. "I love you," he gasped out in one breath, looking as if he might burst with all of the emotions. "Castiel, angel of the Lord, I love you with all my heart."

Castiel's grin widened, and on the spur of the moment, he let his own wings manifest. Dean whispered to himself in awe as he saw the once-broken appendages restored to their jet-black, shimmering glory. He began to smile as well as his angel wrapped the wings around the two of them, cocooning them in a curtain of warm darkness. Cas pressed a soft kiss to Dean's mouth, smiling through the caress.

"I love you too, Dean Winchester. I love you with every fiber of my being."


	3. My Heart Is Light Again

**Hello, fellow people of Earth! Wow, I can't believe I'm actually doing a multi-chapter story! Sorry that the chapters are so short, but my genius can only stretch so far! And thank you for the reviews! They motivated me!**

**Disclaimer: It pains me to have to say it again. Don't make me.**

**Note: Destiel, Sabriel, and some Awesome!Boys**

Sunlight was streaming through the cheap motel curtains when a weary hunter woke up. Dean's eyes cracked open to near darkness, though. For a moment, he was lost. _Where the hell am I?_

"Relax, Dean."

Warm breath ghosted across Dean's face, smelling slightly like mint toothpaste. "Cas?" Dean asked. "Umm, where…?" he let himself trail off, afraid to move.

Through the twilight-like darkness, Dean could see a faint smile of affection growing in his angel's now-visible blue eyes. "Dean, you are in my arms, and we are surrounded by my wings." At this, the angel shifted slightly, and the darkness surrounding them slowly lifted, revealing the sleazy, old motel room, and Castiel's face. The angel's mouth was set into a crooked grin. "Good morning, Dean," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Dean's lips. Dean was about to respond until a loud, laughing voice broke through the lovers' reverie.

"Whoa, there, kids! Keep it rated G! There are underage Sasquatches in the room!"

Gabriel and Sam had quietly popped into the motel room, not even bothering to use the door. Sam was carrying a bag of food from what looked like the local diner. He was slightly red in the face as he slung his arm around Gabriel's shoulders. "So, Dean," Sam began conversationally, a smirk growing on his face.

Dean struggled to sit up; Cas's arms were still wrapped around his waist possessively. "You little shit," he spat back mockingly, "at least my angel is actually my height. I see that for you, the angelic boyfriend supplier was forced to..." he made a show of looking up and down Gabriel's diminutive height, "...downsize a bit."

Gabriel's face was shocked for a moment. Then he began to laugh. "Oh, for the sake of Dad Almighty, that was the most cheap ass insult that I've ever heard in my life. And seeing as I've lived for millennia on end, that's saying something." He nudged Sam heartily, and Sam couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"You know, Dean, that did suck." For a moment, the two brothers had a staredown, their surroundings forgotten. "Dude, I can't believe that you're gay," Sam suddenly exclaimed, laughing. "I mean, me I can understand, but _you_-"

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to eat the food that Sam and my brother brought."

Gabriel, Dean, and Sam, all stared in shock at Cas, who had interrupted quietly from his spot around Dean's waist. The angel looked around innocently, his blue eyes wide. "What?" he asked. "I want food."

Gabe sighed. "Well, my little brother, get your lazy ass out of bed and come and get it." He swaggered into the tiny, crusty-looking kitchenette, placing the bag of food on the table and turning around. "Sam, I'll be right back. Timoriel has apparently been beating on Amorel, so I gotta go up to Heaven and be the Badass Holy Archangel Policeman of My Dad." With that, Gabriel wiggled his fingers in a little wave and disappeared with a rustle of wings.

Castiel sighed and got out of bed as Sam disappeared into the bathroom. The angel untangled himself from Dean and put his black wings away. Dean also got up, noticing with a shock that he was only wearing his boxers. "Dude, what happened to my pants?" He looked over at Cas and saw that the angel was also almost fully disrobed. "And yours, Cas...Not that I'm complaining," he added as he appraised his angel's vaguely muscular, toned body.

"In the middle of the night, I was bored. So I vanished your sweatpants and my entire suit," Cas called over his shoulder as he rummaged through Dean's duffel. He pulled out the sweatpants that the hunter had been wearing the previous night and threw them to him, along with a blue T-shirt. As Dean pulled the garments on, Castiel continued to search through the bag. He ended up pulling out a pair of Dean's dark blue sweatpants and one of his T-shirts. Dean looked up in surprise, grinning as he saw his new boyfriend wearing casual clothes.

"Cas, man," Dean chuckled, striding to his angel and wrapping his arms around Cas's waist, "you look hot, for lack of a better term."

Castiel looked down in embarrassment, his lips twitching into a smile yet again. "Thank you, Dean," he murmured bashfully, moaning quietly as his human kissed his neck gently. "This is nice," he commented.

"Yeah, yeah, what a gushy love fest. Let's eat, lovebirds!" Suddenly, Gabriel was back, and Sam walked out of the bathroom at the same moment. The other couple looked at Cas's new outfit and nodded approval. "Nice touch, little brother," Gabe praised the awkward younger angel, "but you'll never be as cool as me."

The two couples crowded into the kitchen, pulling up chairs. Dean sat on his chair backwards as he grabbed a cheeseburger from the bag, passing a cheese, lettuce, tomato, and bacon sandwich to Castiel. Gabriel and Sam had identical chicken salads, though Gabe had grabbed a caramel apple and some Snicker's bars as a dessert. "Old habits die hard," the former Trickster explained.

* * *

><p>Later that day, the couples found themselves on a volcanic beach in Hawaii. They all sat on the warm, black sand, feeling the mild blue water tickle their toes. "This was a really good idea, Gabe," Sam murmured quietly to his archangel, stroking the shorter man's chestnut-blond locks. The former Trickster glanced up at his boyfriend, the ever-present smirk growing on his lips.<p>

"Better than winter in Iowa, eh?" he chuckled, snapping his fingers. A tropical-print beach blanket appeared farther up the beach, and Gabriel got up and offered his hand to Sam. The larger man's massive hand enveloped his boyfriend's, and the archangel leaned against Sam as the two slowly walked to the blanket. They fell onto the sand-cushioned spread, with Sam on his back. The hunter kissed his archangel's neck, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.

And a bird flew across the sky, highlighting the tranquility of Hawaii as angels rested with their lovers.

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><p><strong>Shall I do more, my friends?<strong>


	4. Angels Shouldn't Play With Knives

**Hiya, people! Chapter 4, woot, woot! Hope the party doesn't end! I know it's kind of weird that I pretty much post a chapter EVERY night, but i get bored, so no harm done!**

**Warning: Torture scenes, which could be hazardous to some viewers. **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. They're not mine, whatever.**

**Note: Watch out! The fluffy curtain is coming down to let out some serious stuff. This is where it gets good.**

"Dean, you do know that we have to do the case eventually," Sam nagged for the third time that minute. Dean threw a pillow at his brother, but the younger hunter caught it easily. "Seriously, though," he continued, "we gotta do this. There's a whole nest of vampires that are hurting and turning people. We have the machetes and dead man's blood all ready to go in the Impala. They have to be taken out."

Dean glared at Sam from where he lay in a mass of pillows on the carpeted motel floor. "I know," he ground out for the tenth time, "but isn't it weird that Cas and Gabe never came back from Heaven after the little Hawaii vacation incident? They were just called up, and…Poof!" Dean made a 'poof' motion with his hands to emphasize his point, furrowing his brow with worry. "Doesn't that strike you as just a little bit odd?"

"Of course it does," Sam snorted, "but they'll come back. They always do." He glanced down at Dean from the bed. "And if worst does come to worst…"

"Then I guess Gabe will go all Badass Holy Archangel Policeman of His Father and smite the world, I suppose," Dean finished sarcastically. "And where does Cas fit into all of this? Does he just stand around like a girl while his big brother gets wrathful on angels? Hmm?"

"It'll be okay, Dean," Sam soothed like a psychiatrist on TV. "Just relax. They'll come back to us. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, okay," Dean muttered. "I guess you're right."

* * *

><p>"Please, please stop! NOOO!"<p>

Oblivious to the other man's pleas, an angel raised his holy blade again and carved another ancient sigil into pale flesh. Blood and the white light of the man's inner Grace seeped out of his wrist. His black hair was ragged, and one of the blue eyes was closed against the blood seeping into it. "I'd rather not stop, brother," the torturer purred in a silky voice, tapping the knife to his victim's swollen lips. "This is just too fun."

"You don't know what you're doing, Timoriel," the tortured angel gasped out. "I have God on my side."

"I hate to break it to you, little brother," Timoriel smirked, "but we _all_ have dear ol' Dad on our sides. Oh, and you want to know why we love to do this? Why, oh why did Dad make us the punishing squad? Wanna know why, Brother?" He stood up, towering over the trembling angel. For a brief moment, lightning flashed and the shadows of jagged-looking wings extended across the pristine brick walls of the angel headquarters in Heaven.

"Why?" the victim spat at Timoriel, blood flying from his lips. "Why are you and our brothers torturing other innocent angels?"

Timoriel bent down to the other angel's ear and whispered, "Because God created us to punish our siblings. We were given names that originated from Latin, which is partly why Latin spells work so well on demons and stuff like that. My name originated from the word _timor_, which means fear. Hastael comes from _hastae,_ or spear. Doloriel, the oldest of us, represents who we are. _Dolor_ means pain. And, well, it seems like we are all doing our jobs just right, eh, little fella?"

The victim struggled against his bonds weakly, screaming out again. "Help!" He was subdued as his cry of terror turned to anguish as, yet again, Timoriel scratched out three sharp, shallow lines across his chest. "Please, no, no, NO!"

"You see," Timoriel hissed through clenched teeth, "we decided to torture you for the same reason we tore your wings up a few days ago. You're becoming too human, little brother," he chuckled, absently tracing Enochian symbols in the restrained angel's flesh, ignoring his victim's shrill shrieks of agony. "And you fell in love with a human. And then you developed _feelings._" The punishing angel sneered at the word like it was poisonous. "So, you see, I do have to do this. Oh, and before I forget..." Timoriel turned to the table where there were frightening-looking tools. He carefully picked out some heavy-duty electric hedge clippers, stroking them tenderly, like a human would touch a lover. "I saved the best for last." The angel spat out a few words in Enochian, and the victim struggled with terror as his wings were forced to manifest.

"No!" he screamed, feeling his throat being ripped to shreds by the force of his cries. "No, you can't do this!"

"Oh, but I can, little brother," Timoriel purred, flicking a switch. The hedge clippers roared to life, chopping at the pain-filled air with a deadly purpose. The dark, torturous angel strode slowly toward the table that his brother was chained to. The angel tried to fold his wings in as the clippers closed in, but Timoriel shook his head, chuckling. "Not a chance, little one. Don't you remember binding spells? Your wings are mine until I'm satisfied with my work." With that, the razor-sharp blades descended on the victim's wings.

Blinding flashes of white illuminated the dim room as the angel's wings were torn to shreds. He screamed in agony as the overwhelming pain washed over his Grace, draining it from his body. He had no choice but the watch in red-hazed horror as every single bone and joint was broken, shattered in every way possible. Timoriel began to strategiacally shear off all of his victim's flight feathers, leaving only short, downy, bloody scraps to cover the shattered framework of his wings. "Oh, this is fun!" Timoriel shrieked. "Are you enjoying yourself yet, traitor?"

The angel set his jaw as his torturer put down the torture devices. "No," he panted, spitting blood from his mouth. "I'll never become a mindless soldier again. Even God knows that, brother. You can rip me until I'm inches from death, but I'll never give in. I love my human, and I will continue fighting for him and his race's freedom. Humans are God's children too, Timoriel. Don't you know that?"

Timoriel frowned. He turned away from his victim, pressing an intercom button and speaking into it. "Send our new recruit in. Maybe then, our little friend here will understand."

A voice crackled over the intercom; the victim recognized it as belonging to Dimtrizar, his old lieutenant when he was part of the Garrison. "I'll send him right over," the disembodied voice sneered. Within seconds, the telltale rustle of wings sounded through the torture room. The victim gasped at who had just flown in.

"No."

"Yes!" Timoriel exclaimed, an evil grin on his scarred face. "You know, the strongest ones are sometimes the easiest to break."

"Hello, Castiel," Gabriel said in a flat, emotionless monotone. "It's time to come back to Heaven."

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><p><strong>Oh, this is where it gets INTENSE! Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Stupid? Should I go back to fluff? (Though I really do love these intense scenes!)<strong>

**-ImpalaAngel13 (I know that's formal, but whatever!)**


	5. Whispers In The Night

**Hello, readers! What's up in the world today? I hope that you're enjoying the story so far! Is it progressing too fast? If it is...TOO BAD! But I still love this story! I hope you do, too!**

**Warning: Mild language, angsty, longing Destiel and Sabriel**

**Note: It makes me cry to write such lack of emotion for Gabe! It makes me die a little bit inside.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Supernatural boys.**

"Gabriel?" Castiel croaked, his strength fading along with his Grace, "Why are you doing this? You know who you truly are! Come back to me, Gabriel! Come back to what we created for ourselves, down on Earth! Come back to me, Gabriel," he repeated again, his voice cracklling with blood and tears. "Come back to Dean...and Sam."

For a moment, the fire that used to burn so brightly in the archangel's amber eyes flickered to life for a moment, and Castiel's dwindling Grace flared with hope But then the brainwashed angel spoke quietly. "Brother," Gabriel sighed, and Castiel's heart sank at the sound of his smart-ass brother's voice turned into a lulling monotone, "you know that we are all angels of the Lord. I am an archangel. Ever since Michael and Lucifer were thrown back into the cage, it has been my responsibility to control all of the angels of Heaven. The other angels, out brothers, have helped me see that. You will be kept here until you do too."

Castiel closed his eyes, willing himself away from the nightmare as his older brothers untied his broken body, flying him to an inescapable cell. They dumped his body on a surprisingly soft cot, but the shattered angel groaned as his mangled wings were jarred. Soon, he was asleep, and he didn't even try to control the human reaction to the wave of fatigue that washed over his mind. And Castiel, angel of God, let himself dream.

_Dean and Bobby firing shots at him as Castiel stormed towards them, gait steady, eyes flashing._

_Castiel pulling the demon knife out of his chest, smirking slightly at Dean's ignorance._

_Dean's eyes as Castiel spread his wings for the first time._

_Dean's eyes as the two of them kissed for the first time._

_Dean's eyes as he told Castiel that he loved him._

_Castiel's heart as he responded with every shred of Grace that he possessed._

* * *

><p><em>Castiel's handprint on his shoulder.<em>

_Dean shaking as he was brought to his knees by Castiel's true voice._

_Castiel's eyes as Dean saw him blown to shreds with a snap of Lucifer's fingers._

_Castiel's eyes as Dean sewed his angel's wings into health._

_Castiel's eyes as the two of them lay together in a warm embrace._

_Dean's soul as he overflowed with love for the one that had saved him from Hell._

"Cas!"

Dean sat bolt upright in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. The handprint that Castiel had left on his upper arm was burning with a flaming pain not unlike the brutal infernoes of hell. Dean looked at his clock. 4:27 AM. It had only been twenty minutes since the last time he'd woken up with a nightmare. "Son of a BITCH!" he growled, yelling the last word out loud. He glanced over at Sam's bed, and was panicked to find it empty. "Sammy?" he called, looking around warily.

"Dean."

The sound came from the corner. Dean swiveled his head to face the voice's source. Sam was huddled in a ball in the corner, knees drawn up and wedged underneath his arms. The 6'4" man was shaking, and as Dean flicked the lights on in the motel room, he saw that his little brother's eyes were bloodshot and his hair was tousled.

"So you have the dreams, too?" Sam asked, his hazel eyes wide in the reddish light from the lamp.

"No!" Dean hastily covered up, looking away quickly. "Only you get dreams like that."

"Hey!" Sam yelled suddenly, extending to his full height and storming towards his older brother. "Don't even try to play the demon blood card with me when we both know that you're having dreams about Cas! Don't even try!"

Dean frowned. "Dude, chill." He met his brother's eyes steadily. "I didn't mean to be that way. I'm just worried about Cas." At this, Sam's eyes sparked.

"And what about Gabe? I am literally inside the mind of an archangel. And it's not what I thought it would be. It's not Gabe in there, Dean." He stopped, a single tear running down his face.

"Sam, what the hell do you see in Gabe's coconut?" Dean asked slowly, fearing the answer. The other hunter looked up at him, pain glimmering through the tears on his face.

"I saw nothing. Just blank, empty space. And every once in a while his mind will get these…these _flashes_ of torture. I see through his eyes for a second. I saw him dragging Cas to a cell and he left him there. Just left him, all broken and bleeding! This isn't Gabriel, Dean! It's not him!" Sam turned away, and Dean could see that his brother's broad shoulders were shaking quietly.

"Sammy—" Dean began, but Sam whirled around and cut him off.

"I love him, you know. I love him, and you're brushing him off like he's nothing! And what do you see in Cas's mind? I bet it's unicorns and sunshine compared to what's being hammered into my head!" He swung his arm and knocked over a cheap ceramic vase. It fell to the floor and shattered. A single, jagged piece lodged itself in Sam's foot. The younger hunter winced, but he stepped hard on that foot purposely, throwing his arms wide. "See?" he exclaimed. "It doesn't hurt. Unicorns and sunshine compared to Gabe's head, just like I said."

Dean stepped slowly towards his brother, his hands up in a gesture that he might make to a wild animal. "Whoa, Sam. You need to calm down."

Sam glared at the shorter man with a stare that Dean knew could probably kill. "I won't take this thing out of my foot until you tell me what you see in Cas's head. I bet you it won't be nearly as bad as what I see," he challenged in a stubborn voice. "I bet you my soul- and that's saying something- that what you see is not any worse than what I see."

"Do you really want to know?" Dean asked quietly. When Sam nodded, he continued with a sigh. "I see flashbacks in his mind... flashbacks of us. When I first met him, and when we first, you know, were together. And I feel pain sometimes. It's not physical pain. I think that Cas is feeling heartache, Sammy. He's homesick and lonely and sad. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes." Sam sat down on the floor and gingerly pulled the shard out of his foot, ignoring the spurt of blood. "So now, I'm going to pray to my angel. And if you're smart, you will too. Obviously, they won't be mentally stable enough to resist us." With that, Sam squinted his eyes shut. Dean stared at him disbelievingly.

"Hello, Sam."

Sam shot up and rushed at the man that was now standing in the center of the room. "Gabriel! Gabe, I was so- I was terrified for you!" he exclaimed, embracing the archangel in a tight hug. The man stood stiffly as Sam hugged him. "Gabe? Are you all right?"

"No, Sam, I'm not." Gabriel pulled away from Sam. "I came back to say goodbye. I have to return to Heaven. I, as an archangel, was never meant to be a guardian. I'm sorry. Goodbye." He disappeared in a rustle of wings.

"Gabe? Gabriel? GABE!" Sam screamed, fresh tears coursing down his face. He crumpled the the ground, sobbing shamelessly.

Dean bent down to his knees and held his younger brother as he cried for the angel that he'd lost.

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><p><strong>Awww, sadness! What do you think? Good? Bad? AWESOME? Please review with suggestions for the future chapters!<strong>


	6. Silver Knives In My Soul

**Okay, this one is inside Gabriel's mind. Sorry if it doesn't sound like him. He's hopelessly confused, as we all know.**

**Disclaimer: The same old thing...**

**Note: Unbeta'd. All mistakes are mine. Oh, and I love writing this so much more than I love the fluff.**

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><p><em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. <em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. <em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. <em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. <em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. <em>I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else.<em>__ __I am—_

_What the hell? Wait a second…Cassie? Little brother, why are you being tortured? Why am I your cell guard? What did you say about Sam?_

_Sam._

_Sammy?_

_Where are you?_

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

_I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else. I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to—_

_No! Not that again! I need to talk to Sam! I need my Sammy. Need to fly..._

_Wait? Was that another angel calling? Timoriel, I think? How do I know him? Not an archangel, I know that. But not a soldier, like Cas. Who are you, Timoriel? What do you want from an archangel like me? And what power do you hold over me? Bring me back!_

_...Father?..._

_Father, is that you? I need help! This angel called Timoriel has got me and Cas held hostage and I'm lost and confused and lonely and I don't know what's going on and I feel like there's this wall separating me from myself and-_

_Yes, Father. I understand. I know what this means. You are coming back to Heaven, and you need me, your son, to help. And what of the Winchesters? Castiel has not yet been neutralized and he has a deep-seated loyalty to those humans. We do not know what he will do if he manages to escape before he realizes his responsibility here with his family._

_...What?_

_Yes. I will bid the Winchesters farewell. I will go now, if that is what you wish. Yes. I will be the obedient child, not like Lucifer, Raphael, or any of the others. I am your Holy Messenger again. I am Gabriel, the best of God's children._

_Flight._

_Sam and Dean. Dean and Sam. Sam._

_Sammy._

_A hug? But Dad said that I must have no emotional contact with them. I'll just tell him I love him and that I'm sorry and then I'll go. Yeah, that's what I'll do._

_No! Dad, get out of my head! Stop moving my mouth! Sammy, those words aren't mine, I swear! I love you, Sam Winchester! You have to believe me! Please, save me! It's not me talking! Don't believe what I'm saying! I want to stay with you, but God is sending me back-_

_Flight._

_I hear your voice, Sam. You're calling to me. Your heart is broken. _Gabe_, you call._

_But I can't answer._

_Wait! The wall in my Grace is overwhelming me. It beckons. _Sleep. Sleep, and I will do the rest. Let God provide, Gabriel, _it whispers. I want so badly to resist it, but God knows that my greatest weakness is temptation. I'm sorry, Sam. I tried to fight God, but he is too strong. I'm sorry._

_Sammy._

__I am an archangel. I have responsibilities to Heaven and nobody else.__

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><p>Sam woke up. His face felt stretched, and his throat and eyes were sore. He knew that he'd been crying for almost a day now. "Gabriel," he murmured to himself heartbrokenly, "where did you go?"<p>

Dean stirred as he heard his little brother speak for the first time in hours. He cracked his eyes open, meeting Sam's eyes. "Sammy, you should go back to sleep. Maybe we can work on summoning an angel tomorrow. They'll have answers. There's that one guy, Timoriel. Remember how Cas and Gabe kept thinking about him in our dreams? He's our best source of information. We'll find a way to bring Gabe and Cas back, I swear. Okay?"

The massive lump in the bed next to Dean turned away from his brother. "At least your angel didn't tell you that he didn't love you anymore," he grumbled angrily. "At least you still have an angel that loves you. Gabriel gave up. He gave up on us. He gave up on ME!" Sam suddenly bolted out of bed, his eyes blazing.

"Whoa, Sam!" Dean yelled, getting up as well. "Sam, you need to calm down!"

Sam whirled on his brother and threw a punch at his jaw, knocking the shorter man down. "Don't tell me to calm down, Dean!" he roared as his brother got up from the ground. "You think that this is all about me being a brokenhearted little bitch about my boyfriend leaving me, or whatever it is that whirls around in that idiotic head of yours! Wrong, Dean! This is about the angels taking advantage of people and places that shouldn't be messed with! They screwed with my head, yours, and everyone else's! And I'm sick and tired of it all!"

Dean stood quietly through his brother's ranting, carefully massaging the point where Sam had hit his jaw. Once the younger man's freak-out had simmered down, Dean spoke up. "It doesn't matter that you're pissed off if you don't do anything about it. What in the name of God could you possibly do to stop the angels from screwing with your ego?"

"That's it!" Sam exclaimed. He ran to the door of the motel and rushed out of it, grabbing the keys to the Impala as he went.

"Like hell you're gonna steal my car!" Dean yelled and he raced after his psychotically broken brother. He arrived in the parking lot to see Sam unlocking the trunk of the car. "Sam, what the hell are you doing with my baby?"

Sam was rummaging through the weapons in the back of the car. As he tossed aside a broken, rusting machete, he answered his brother. "When you went to hell and I thought that this was my car, I made a couple of modifications to the weapons area, just in case I needed to hide something from you. The thing is, now that I do need it, I can't find the damn thing. And I hid something extremely important in here."

Dean watched Sam in shocked silence. _What the hell happened to my baby brother that made him so psychotically unstable? _Out loud, he added, "Why did you think you would need to hide something from me?"

"Because I know that what I have here would probably make you faint, it's so rare. And you'd kill me for having it," Sam replied casually. Unbeknownst to Dean, Sam's searching fingers found the latch he was looking for. The hunter pulled open the door to the secret compartment. "Yeah, you would definitely kill me for having this," he chuckled.

"Oh. Wonderful." Dean commented. "So what is it that was so important that you cut a compartment into my baby for?"

"This."

"Holy shit."

"Holy indeed." Sam twirled the holy angel-killing blade in his hands affectionately.

"Where'd you get that thing?" Dean gasped, ogling the bright, silvery knife in his brother's hands.

Sam looked up from the shining surface briefly, showing Dean that he was listening. "Gabriel gave it to me the day of the Hawaii vacation. He told me that something bad might happen soon, and that he needed me to help him out if something bad happened to him. He said that a war is coming." He reached into the compartment again, taking out one more blade. He threw it to Dean. "In the war against Raphael's angels, Gabriel ended up killing a real jackass called Gaestel. He gave this one to me, too. It's for you."

"Why are you giving me this?" Dean asked, still in shock as he inspected his very own holy knife.

"Because we'll need them to get Gabe and Cas back." Sam met Dean's eyes, his hazel depths burning with an intense passion that scared Dean to his core.

"What do you mean?"

"We're going to need them in battle." Sam twirled the glittering knife in his hand. "I'm going to find them, Dean. I'm going to fight a war against Heaven."

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><p><strong>Reviews? Comments? Questions? Ideas? Seriously, though, I want your opinions on the story. Pretty please?<strong>

**To be continued...**


	7. Darkness Stains My Wings

**Hi. I'm sorry if this course of events is going away from romance, but it'll get back. Eventually.**

**Note: Unbeta'd. You have been warned.**

**NoteX2: Sorry if you're annoyed that I called the holy blade a knife. I tend to interchange that with sword.**

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><p>The world as Dean Winchester knew it was crashing down at his feet.<p>

There was blood everywhere—_Is it mine? — _and the charred black wing imprints of dead angels littered the warehouse. His baby brother, whom Dean thought could do no harm, was locked in furious combat with two seriously pissed off angels. It scared Dean to see his Sammy's once-innocent face twisted in the same raw fury that could only touch the features of a demon. _Maybe that's just what he is now, _he thought to himself sadly as his brother punched the older angel's jaw, knocking the suited guy to the ground. _His heart and soul were broken too many times to heal right. And now he's just what Yellow Eyes wanted him to be: a monster._

"Dammit, Dean, throw me the sword!" Sam bellowed suddenly, reaching out a bloodied hand from the writhing mass of angel that he was buried in. Dean froze. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Sam, we have to keep one! We need them for information, and seeing as our first angel hunt ended with you massacring two angels, I think I have authority today." With that, the older man pushed off from the charred wall that he was leaning on and strode towards the small skirmish occurring before his eyes. Quickly, he took out the holy sword that hung in a homemade leather sheath at his waist. The silver glimmered in anticipation of the imminent kill.

"Give me that blade, human," one of the angels hissed from where he was pinned underneath Sam's knees. "You have no right to hold the sword of Gaestel!" The other angel, in a scrawny, scared-looking teenage vessel, remained silent, his pale green eyes wide in an unusually pale face..

"I don't think so," Dean snarled, and in a single, swift motion, he lunged with the holy knife and caught the badmouthing jackass right underneath the chin, thrusting it up through the idiot head in the same gesture that he'd used since ganking Zachariah. The angel gasped, gurgled, and then Dean and Sam closed their eyes simultaneously as white light burst from the vessel of the extinguished angel.

"Rentiel," the other angel whispered heartbrokenly, his arm reaching out slowly to stroke the marks that his brother's wings had made on the ground. Dean noticed that the tip of one wing was intersecting with others from other angels that Sam had killed in his fit of fury and wrath against Heaven.

"What's your name?" Dean asked quietly, crouching down to the sitting angel's level. "I'm sorry about your brother, but I'm sure that you would rather be left alive by me than slowly ripped to shreds by Sam over there. Am I right?"

"Yes," the angel murmured, casting his eyes down. The angel had chosen an unusual vessel for sure, Dean observed. The vessel seemed that, if he were to stand up, he would only be about five foot six. He was of a skinny, lanky build, and he had pale brown hair like Sam's, reaching below his ears. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, a black coat, and sneakers. The only religious-seeming thing on him was the tip of a golden cross necklace that peeked out of the shirt. "I'm Hadriel," he said finally. "Rentiel was my guardian."

From where he stood sullenly in a corner, Sam spoke up scornfully. "An angel needs a guardian angel? That's a new twist on things, for sure."

Hadriel glared at the tall hunter. "I'm a young angel, just barely trying out my wing. In other words, I'm a fledgling. That's why I speak so modernly. I was born into a new age."

"A fledgling angel, eh?" Dean chuckled humorlessly, rocking back on his heels. "And just how old are you?"

"I'm only 2,000 years old," Hadriel replied. "I'm the youngest angel in existence."

"Oh, well, that's just _great," _Sam sneered, throwing his hands up. "Well, now I've seen everything. I've met the devil, I've been to hell, and now I've met the youngest angel in existence." He turned and began to leave the room, turning at the last minute to call back to Dean. "Ask him what the hell is going on with the douchebags that took Gabe and Cas."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Dean mock-saluted. He turned back to Hadriel, smiling without mirth. "Sorry, man. He has this whole hate thing going for pretty much any angels that aren't called Castiel or Gabriel. No offense, but we just met you and all. You know what?" Dean suddenly exclaimed, no longer talking to the angel, "I'm being a real idiot for just trusting you." He took Gaestel's sword from its leather sheath and held it to Hadriel's chin.

"Wait!" the angel yelled. "I know who took your friends. I may be a fledgling, but my brothers trust me."

"Well?" Dean demanded, shaking Hadriel's shoulders forcefully. "Who?"

Hadriel frowned shamefully. "They are called the Holy Punishers, and they're led by Doloriel. The angel that tortured Castiel was named Tiimoriel."

"That son of a bitch," Dean hissed. "How did you know this? How?" he screamed, shaking the angel frantically.

"I was forced to watch as part of my training," Hadriel stated boldly.

"Training?"

The angel looked up, his wide green eyes suddenly seeming cold as they peered from underneath his shaggy brown bangs. "Angels, when they are created by our father, are immediately separated into groups. There are archangels, soldiers, guardians, and avengers. I already told you that the avengers are known as the Punishers. I am an avenger."

Dean lowered his head. "Hadriel, I hate to break it to you, but Sam is gonna hate your freaking guts, or whatever it is that angels have. To tell you the truth, I kinda do already."

"That's understandable," the angel replied, nodding with a wiseness that didn't seem to fit with his age. "There's more. I was the one who tortured Gabriel into submission. I was the one who was forced to let him see the light of our father again. God is returning, Dean Winchester. And he is not happy with you, your brother, or the angels that you have befriended. But I can help you," he added desperately. "I no longer understand what goes on in Heaven. Even the most beautiful place in existence is corrupt. I need your help, and you need mine."

Dean stared in rage at Hadriel. "You made Gabriel into what he is now?" he shouted. "You shattered my brother's heart so that he is trying to kill every damn angel in the entire world? And now you expect me to trust you? Are you an idiot? I bet you are!"

"I'm sorry, Dean, but I truly am sorry for what I've done. I know how much Gabriel means to you and Sam. I truly want to change, though. You don't believe me?" he demanded. "Bring Sam in here. I promise that I won't fight him." To emphasize his point, Hadriel flicked his wrists and, from the sleeves of his coat, two holy swords appeared. "One is from a brainwashed angel called Dimtrizar," he explained as he handed the shining blades to Dean. "We have him essentially running Heaven's inner workings. Just be careful with my swords," he added. "You never know when I might need them to save you."

The hunter took the two shining blades and put them in a duffel bag. He got up and walked out the door of the warehouse. "Sam?" he called as he wandered around outside. The late-dusk light made it hard to see his brother. "Sammy?" he yelled again, rounding a corner. Dean stopped short.

Sam Winchester was crying. He was curled up against the wall, his arms wrapped around the legs that folded up against his chest. Dean's heart broke as he saw the younger hunter's broad shoulders heaving with the effort of sobbing. As he heard Dean approach, Sam looked up slowly. His face was red and tear-streaked, the clear liquid cutting trails through the drying blood on his features. "I heard him, Dean," he whimpered. "I heard Hadriel talking about how he...how he ruined my Gabriel. He ruined my strong, proud angel because he was created to be a _monster_!"

"Sam."

Both brothers looked up and saw Hadriel standing in the fading sunlight, his hands in his pockets in a very humanlike way. "I regret what I did, Samuel," he said coldly, "but I am no monster. If I were a monster, I would have killed you a thousand times over by now." The teenaged angel's vessel flushed in embarrassment. "And I want to make up for it. I _will_ save Gabriel and Castiel. I promise that to you."

"How?" Sam whispered.

Hadriel smiled grimly. "I believe that you're familiar with the term 'Team Free Will,' correct?"

Dean narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

The angel widened his stance, and a powerful wind stirred up as angels popped up all around the warehouse's overgrown parking lot. There were men, women, girls, and boys. They all were hefting their holy swords and their multicolored wings were visible, filling the lot with the glory of the holy host of Heaven.

"Sam and Dean Winchester," Hadriel began quietly, "I'd like you to meet my own personal Team Free Will. And I'd like you to be a part of the team. So the question remains. Are you in?"

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><p><strong>Ta-da! Yay for chapters! I think I love Hadriel. Oh, and I've already created about three other angels. <strong>

**Question: Is the story moving too fast? Do you like the new angels? Please comment on it!**


	8. Fallen Angel on My Shoulder

**Hello! I know that this is getting off the beaten path in terms of a Supernatural storyline, but I just love writing about angels! So, sorry if you're starting to hate the story. This is just an introductory and explanatory chapter chapter. We're meeting all of the angels that are on the new and improved Team Free Will, as well as seeing what else happened to Cas and Gabe, our favorite angels in the whole wide world. So, no extremely fight-worthy things happen. However, I promise that there'll be some action in the next chapter! **

**Note: The only angel names in this chapter that I have found to be real are Castiel, Gabriel, and Kyriel. The rest are of my own making.**

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><p>"Are you in?" Hadriel asked again, holding out his hand to the Winchester brothers. He could tell that Sam didn't trust him, and Dean was torn between staying with his brother and saving Castiel. "My brothers and sisters are willing to die to save an archangel and another brother. We can help you," he added hopefully, choosing his words carefully so as not to provoke the hunters. He pondered his situation for a moment before adding, "We know a way to heal Castiel and to take down the wall in Gabriel's mind."<p>

Dean's eyes widened with hope. He stepped forward, extended his own hand, and grabbed Hadriel's. "I'm in," he growled. He turned back to his brother, and Hadriel could practically see Dean's heart pounding wildly as Sam stood up slowly. The tall man strode purposefully towards Hadriel, and the angel felt impossibly small compared to the hunter. He took Hadriel's hand as well, shaking it slowly while meeting the angel's eyes with a dark determination.

"I'm with you," Sam Winchester said solemnly.

"Good," Hadriel said, spreading his now-visible jagged silver wings. "It's time for you two to meet the family."

Sam stood stiffly next to Dean as Hadriel gathered his fellow angels. There were only around six of them, but they all looked pretty tough. He found their manifested wings to be extremely fascinating. They seemed to reflect each angel's personality or rank, as well as being breathtakingly beautiful. Sure, he had seen Gabriel's simple black manifestations, but these seemed to be true Grace, if that was any way to put it. "Dean," he breathed out of the corner of his mouth, nudging his brother.

"What the hell do you want?" Dean exclaimed, practically yelling as he faced his brother. One of the angels looked over at them curiously, but then turned back to where he was standing with Hadriel and the other angels.

"Do you trust them?" Sam asked, looking down at his brother. Dean sighed and nodded.

"Now leave me alone. They're coming."

Hadriel strode up to their pair, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The fledgling angel looked almost human, if you didn't count the silver wings spreading from his back. "Before I introduce you, I'd appreciate it if I had my swords back," he said. Dean bent and took the two holy blades from the duffle, handing them to the angel. "Thank you," Hadriel smiled.

An African-American man, looking to be about 65 years old, stepped slowly up to Sam and Dean. His wings were a black that seemed to be deeper than seemed to be possible. He wore a dark navy suit and a forest-green tie. "I am Saziel," he announced, staring proudly at the two hunters.

_He's exactly like Morgan Freeman_, Sam thought to himself.

Saziel looked up from where he stood in front of Dean. "I heard that," he snapped with a good-natured chuckle.

"Saziel is our oldest member. He has the most experience on Earth and with other angels," Hadriel said hastily. Saziel smiled at the fledgling angel.

Another angel, this time in the body of a thirteen-year-old girl, walked boldly up to the brothers. She had slightly curly, dark brown hair and pale brown eyes. Wings of pale sky-blue with darker blue feather-tips curled out from the back of her silver-and-black jacket. "So these are the famous Winchester boys? Not nearly as impressive as I thought," she smirked. "I'm Circiel. Also known as the best soldier in the Fourth Garrison."

Hadriel put his arm around the female angel's shoulders. "Circiel has to work on her modesty." He smiled suddenly at something behind the Winchesters. "Alariel! You got my message!"

Sam turned on his heel and was surprised to see a young man who was actually his height. The guy seemed to be wearing a human Sam's age, and he had shaggy, dirty blond hair that fell into his face. He had amber eyes like Gabriel, Sam noticed with a pang that stabbed into his heart. The angel had massive wings of red, orange, and gold. It seemed as if there were miniature fires burning on each perfect feather. "I'm Alariel," the tall angel said solemnly. "I am—well, I was— second in command to Gabriel when he was still a major archangel serving God in Heaven. I am now the Supreme Commander of the First Garrison."

"You knew Gabriel?" Sam whispered.

Alariel nodded. "He was the very best."

"That's all well and good, but I'd appreciate it if we finished up the little 'we love Gabriel' powwow and got to introducing the rest of us."

Dean, Sam, and Alariel whirled to see two other angels standing with Hadriel, Saziel, and Circiel. One was a dark-haired woman with brown wings that were jagged like Hadriel's, and the other was a black-haired man that was Dean's age; he had burnished golden wings.

"My name is Kyriel, and this is Eltrael," the woman said. Eltrael lowered his intense green gaze shyly, not meeting the brothers' eyes. Kyriel, however, met their eyes proudly. Her own eyes were an unnatural bright silver. "I am one of the twenty eight angels ruling the twenty eight mansions of the moon," she explained. "The rest of these angels are far more obscure. Their names aren't even recognized on Earth."

Sam threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Okay, this is hopeless. I just wish that we could go back to the days when monsters were monsters, Gabriel was a retired Trickster, and Cas was just the awkward angel who learned about Earth from us." He fell to his knees. "I just don't want any of these freaking family _wars_ anymore!"

Dean bent to his brother's level, meeting Sam's dark hazel eyes. "Sammy," he began, "I know that we are in way over our heads with this, but you have to trust these guys. They'll help us, and we'll get Gabe and Cas back in no time at all. I promise."

Eltrael tentatively approached the two brothers, his wings folding in so that they were no longer manifested in the mortal world. He grabbed Sam's arm and pulled the hunter to his feet. "I will talk to you of what is to go on."

"What-" Sam began, but then Eltrael put two fingers to the hunter's forehead and they disappeared.

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><p>"-the hell?" Sam finished his sentence, not even taking a look at his surroundings before he launched into a rant against the angel. He talked in a rapid-fire, angry voice that he knew would always confuse Dean when the were fighting. He hoped it worked against angels, too. "I don't even know you! I literally just met you a minute ago! How the hell am I supposed to know that you're not one of the jackasses that stole Cas and Gabe? You could be like Zachariah, or that Timoriel guy, or-or-or-" He closed his eyes. "You know what, I don't even want to know what you are. I'm just going to open my eyes and see whatever it is that you wanted to show me."<p>

"Fine," Eltrael said simply.

Sam opened his eyes tentatively; they flew wide once he realized his location. "I'm in Heaven?"

Eltrael nodded. "Yes. I felt that this would be the best way to show you the situation that Heaven and the angels are in."

"You can say that again," Sam agreed. For he and Eltrael were standing in a laboratory/torture room hybrid. There was a cold-looking metal table with straps hanging off the edge. The leather lengths were inscribed with Enochian sigils, and they seemed to have silver spikes that looked as if they would dig into a victim's flesh should the victim be strapped to the table. A tray of grotesque-looking tools sat next to the table, and they included some engraved hedge clippers which seemed useless to Sam. _What would angels do with holy hedge clippers?_

"You'd be surprised," Eltrael commented from where he was crouched underneath the torture table. He was sifting through the chunks of-oh, god, was that skin?- and dried blood. The angel seemed to be looking for something. "Ah!" he exclaimed with satisfaction suddenly, but the cry was tinged with sadness. The black-haired angel stood, holding two objects in his hands. They were feathers, Sam realized. "These are feathers that you may recognize," Eltrael sighed quietly. He held the two objects out to Sam, and the hunter gingerly took them.

One of the long feathers was glossy, smooth, and shimmered an iridescent mixture of red, orange, yellow, and smoky gray. It seemed to be made of fire- fire that was crammed in every possible way into the single, flawless length. It radiated a certain aura of power, and Sam could almost detect the personality of the angel it had come from. The flaming iridescence snapped a memory into place. _Alariel was second in command to Gabriel, and he had wings like this..._ "Holy mother of God," Sam gasped out loud, "this is _Gabe's_ wing feather!"

Eltrael nodded solemnly. "He is a powerful angel, that is for sure. Alariel knows of Gabriel's true archangelic power. Keep that feather safe, Samuel Winchester. It holds a small shred of your archangel's Grace. Do not let it out of your sight." He gestured to the other feather. "That particular plume has an extremely tragic past, if I do say so myself."

Sam inspected the other feather. Unlike Gabriel's, which had been immaculate and glorious, this one was bloodstained and had a few strands plucked out of place. However, Sam could see that the feather was still quite breathtaking. It had dark gray undertones, above which glimmered hues of shining blue, silver, and pale green. It looked like oil would on a sunny day, the hunter thought, but it was far more beautiful and meaningful than that. Sam recognized the pale ceruleans of the feather as belonging to the eyes of another angel. "Cas," he breathed. Obviously, both of the brothers' angels had been here. But for what purpose? "El," Sam called to the angel, surprising himself with how easily the nickname fit his new acquaintance, "what does this all mean?"

Eltrael, though perplexed by the sudden and new moniker, replied quickly. "It means that Castiel's wings were torn to shreds." When Sam's mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief, El continued hastily. "Once Castiel was captured, he was tortured in ways that you cannot imagine. Timoriel performed these acts. Obviously, the brainwashed Gabriel took part in these methods at one point. The act of destroying another angel's wings takes a toll on the torturer's Grace. Feathers fall out of their own wings, to remind them of what they've done. So that is why I found these two feathers. I also found this." El held up a spiky black feather. "This is the wing feather of Timoriel. You must keep all three in your possession. Actually," he continued, "give Castiel's feather to Dean. I think he'll need it as a reminder of his angel."

"Why are feathers so important?" Sam asked, confused by the sudden twist of events.

"All in good time," the angel stated simply. "Just do not lose these feathers. The only thing that I can tell you is that they hold extreme angelic power that can help us in the fight against the angels and God."

"Wait, what?" Sam exclaimed. "We're fighting _God_?"

But Eltrael just raised his fingers and pressed them to Sam's forehead once more, bringing the hunter back to the parking lot with more questions than he'd had when he'd started.

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><p>Dean watched as Sam disappeared with Eltrael for a total of about two seconds. They flew back into existence as suddenly as they had left. Dean was worried when he saw his little brother standing dazedly with Eltrael, but now he held three long, beautiful things in his hands. "Sam?" he asked, walking over to his brother. "What just happened? You just zoned out for a few seconds."<p>

Sam turned and met Dean's eyes; Dean was scared by the intensity of the emotion there. "I have something for you," he whispered. When Dean raised his eyebrows questioningly, Sam pressed one of the objects into his older brother's hand. "It's Cas's" was the only explanation he got. Then Sam walked away, deep in furious conversation with Eltrael.

Dean looked dumbfoundedly at the thing in his hand. It was a feather, a feather so beautiful and so unexplainably _Castiel_ that it made Dean's heart want to burst. He traced a finger lovingly over the shining blues and greens, marveling at the unnatural softness.

He paid no attention to the blood that stained the blues into purple. Dean Winchester had seen too much blood in his lifetime to notice.

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><p><strong>Longest chapter yet! Woot, woot!<strong>

**Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Unicorns? All of the above? But seriously, I want to know: what should the personalities of Alariel, Saziel, Kyriel, and HADRIEL be? Don't be hating on Circiel or Eltrael, because they're mine. But you can help me develop the other angels! Pretty please?**


	9. Carry On, My Wayward Son

**Hi again! Thanks to **Anakaraya Ravenclaw **for the suggestions on personality for my angels! I was thinking the EXACT same things! Truthfully, though, I'm a bit worried about how totally not Supernatural this is. Going into the feathers makes me nervous, but I'm creating my own personal storyline with the boys as my characters. Plus, I just love the idea of these feathers having power. It'll be awesome in my mind, but maybe not in yours. Whatever. I'll keep writing the story, because I love it. So, there you have it.**

**Note: All of this feather riffraff is my idea. It is not a part of the Supernatural universe, but is integrated with its characters in this story.**

**Note again: I know I said that there'd be action in this chapter, but I realized that I would need some more of this explanatory and fluffy stuff. Sorry...**

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><p>"So what happens now?" Dean asked.<p>

"We wait," Kyriel replied simply. "That's the best we can do."

The angel and the human were sitting quietly outside the warehouse that had become their base of operations; Kyriel had just finished doing recon on Heaven. Being an angel of the moon, the dark-haired angel was able to use her full powers to the best of her abilities on the nights when the moon was in the phase that she governed. Now, the sun was rising on the overgrown parking lot, turning the dew-kissed weeds to silvery gold. Sam was inside, Dean assumed. He was always brooding over the other two objects that he'd received on his quick trip with Eltrael. At least, it'd seemed quick to Dean. It seemed to have brought all hell down on Sam, like he'd been wherever he'd gone for years. Dean stroked the feather that he'd had Kyriel angelically attach to his chest. The shimmering colors now shone safely from their place atop Dean's sternum. The last physical remnant of Castiel was now a part of Dean. He'd felt it was symbolic, and he wouldn't have to worry about losing it if the damn feather was attached to his skin. Even though he prayed every day for Cas to come back, he wasn't getting his hopes up. He knew what he was going up against, and had learned to be content with whatever he got of his wayward angel. Sam, however, was a different matter.

Dean's brother hadn't left his curtained-off area of the Holy Warehouse of the Lord since he'd returned from his trip with Eltrael. In fact, Eltrael was the only person-or angel, for that matter-that he'd let into his makeshift bedroom the entire time. Not even Dean was allowed in. It hurt Dean's feelings that Sam had retreated so far into himself that he didn't even get near his brother, but Dean knew what angel withdrawal could do to a person. Seriously, months without Cas during the whole "I'm Sam and I jumped into Hell" incident, not to mention the "I'm Castiel and I'm God only not really because I just drowned myself in a lake" spiel. And now Sam was going four months without an angel and he was essentially curled up in a corner with his arms wrapped around his knees. In the dead of night, Dean would sit outside of Sam's little area and listen to his baby brother sob over whatever it was that Eltrael had gotten for him. It was now that Dean realized that Sam probably had one of Gabriel's feathers with him. He wondered what it looked like, smiling down at the feather that was fused to his flesh.

The gentle blues and greens seemed to shift in the sunlight, sometimes completely hiding behind the dark, smoky black that always lurked in the corners of the feather. Dean touched the feather affectionately, but snatched his hand back quickly when he felt a sharp jolt of electric flame run through the plume of Grace, sparking at his finger and making Dean feel like his chest was on fire, like little tongues of flame were spreading from the feather, sending mixed feelings of power and pain. It felt like Cas was trying to wake up inside the feather that was now a part of Dean, burning at his chest. Dean clutched at his chest, feeling like an old man having a heart attack. _Maybe that's what it is_, the hunter thought to himself. _I can be with Cas in Heaven. _And the last thing that Dean remembered before he passed out was Kyriel lunging out to catch him as he fell.

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><p><em>Dean? Dean, are you there? Can you hear me?<em>

_Cas?_

_Yes. Hello, Dean. It's so could to be in contact with you again. I've missed you._

_Dammit, Cas, what the hell is going on with you? Are you okay? And what is it about Timoriel and Sam and _Gabe_, for crying out loud? I mean, the archangel's gone batshit crazy and Sam's in some sort of trauma-induced coma, for all I know! And what's with all of these feathers?And-_

_Dean. You need to calm down. _

_How the hell can I? You're in lockdown in Heaven and I'm sitting on my ass waiting for some sort of signal! I can't calm down, Cas. Not while you're gone. Not until you're back._

_I understand. And about those feathers- what did Sam say when he gave you my feather?_

_Nothing. Why? Are they important? Should I not have angelically fused it to my chest? I hate to break it to you, Cas, but I think that can't be undone. _

_Actually, that is the best thing that you could've done with it. Angel feathers each contain a shred of Grace from the angel that they came from. You making the feather a part of yourself infused that piece of my energy into your system. We're connected, even more so now than before._

_Wait. So I've got angel juice in my system? What the hell, Cas?_

_Yes. You are now one step closer to having the powers of an angel. Grace is a powerful thing, Dean. Humans have tried to harness its power throughout the ages. All of them have failed, burning up with the sheer force of the power. Except for you. You succeeded in harnessing my power. You have to make sure that Sam does, too. If a part of Gabriel's archangelic Grace falls into the wrong hands...to say the least, it will be catastrophic. However, there are certain, ancient ways to turn human into a partway-angel, or a limited version of a full angel._

_Care to enlighten me? Because I'm freaking out here, Cas! You can't just knock me unconscious from beyond and then tell me that I'm a freaking _monster_, Cas!_

_Dean, there's nothing to fear. You've been given an advantageous gift in this war, and there's no taking it back. So you're going to listen while I tell you what is going on. The feather of a human's guardian angel holds extreme power for that human. It can only be fused to the human at the center of the chest, which is widely known as the center of a human's being. The feathers of other angels that the human collects are to be fused to their shoulder blades, so that they resemble wings eventually, if the human were to accumulate enough feathers. This, combined with the strength of the feathers and the human's soul, can essentially turn the human into an angel. _

_Holy shit. That's a hell of a lot to process, Cas; you know that._

_I know. It's a vicious circle of life, Dean. Angels use souls for power, and humans use angels for power. A human gets the Grace of an angel, dies, and its supercharged soul could be taken by another angel. That angel gains power, and it goes on and on to no end. You have to be careful with your power. When you and Sam get powerful enough, you'll be targets for the taking. Heaven will want you, Dean. But you must come and rescue us. Gabriel and I are bargaining chips in this war, and you-_

_Cas?_

_The angels keeping me prisoner are aware of this connection. I cannot stay much longer._

_Wait, Cas! _

_I'm sorry, Dean. I can't keep talking like this. Keep Sam and yourself safe. I love-_

_Cas? CAS? CASTIEL?_

_Dean..._

_Cas! Come back to me!_

* * *

><p>"CAS!"<p>

Dean woke up with a start, his eyes flying open with a start. The angels were gathered around him; he was in his curtained 'bedroom' in the warehouse. Dean's head was ringing like he'd been suckerpunched by a professional boxer. "Cas," he groaned, turning over on his stomach and burying his face in the pillow. He ignored the angels. The feather on his chest was now as cold as ice, and as Dean pushed himself up on his elbows to crane his neck to look at his chest, he saw that the silvery blue colors had retreated, leaving a sea of smoky black. It was like Cas was barely conscious, not fueling the feather's beauty like he would if he were awake.

"Dean? Are you okay?" That was Sam's voice, hoarse from lack of use. Dean's head shot up, and he flipped over on his back to stare at his brother, who was talking to him for the first time in two months. It'd been way too long to Dean.

"Sam!" he exclaimed happily, but his joy was dampened when he took in Sam's appearance.

The normally tall and proud man was reduced to a stooped and gaunt figure. Sam's bright hazel eyes were dull and sunken from lack of nutrition. His skin was pulled tight across his cheekbones, and his luxurious chestnut hair hung in limp and greasy curtains. Strangely, Sam's musculature had remained intact throughout the two month ordeal. It was obvious that, despite the way that Sam had kept his general hygeine and health, he had kept himself in tip-top hunter condition. "Hey, Dean," he rasped.

Dean sighed, running a hand through his hair wearily. "Dammit, Sam, you really let yourself go, didn't you?"

"Contrary to popular belief, two months staring at two feathers can really be hell on your eyes." Sam rubbed his sunken eye sockets to emphasize his point.

"Two feathers?" Dean asked. "I'm guessing that one is Gabe's, but whose is the other one?"

Sam paused, chewing his lip uncertainly as he gazed questioningly at Eltrael. When the angel nodded solemnly at the unknown question, Sam disappeared into his adjacent curtained-off room. He returned holding two long objects reverently. Dean sat up in the bed, sitting crosslegged with his back against the headboard so that Sam could sit on the bed as well. Once he had situated his incredibly long legs in a relatively comfortable position, he placed the two objects on the bedspread between them. "These are the other two feathers that I retrieved with Eltrael two months ago," he explained.

Dean's eyes widened at what he saw. The first feather that caught his eye was the miniature fire that seemed to have ignited on the bedspread. A myriad of blood reds, flaming oranges, blinding yellows, and dark, silvery grays were laid out in a sparkling array on a single, perfectly shaped feather. It was obviously Gabriel's. The colors shifted as Dean's head position changed, and it seemed liike the tiny flame was flickering and spitting smoke like Gabriel would launch out sarcastic jibes at the hunters' pride. "It's amazing," Dean whispered despite himself, feeling like a total girl, fawning over a feather like this. But his awed grin faded as he saw the other feather. It was jet black, an ugly black tainted with pain. The feather was jagged and harsh-looking, and Dean felt like he would die if he so much as touched that black abomination. "Whose is it?" he asked in barely disguised disgust.

"Timoriel's," Sam answered tightly, his eyebrows drawn together in anger. "That son of a bitch pretty much let it fall down while he was ripping Cas to pieces. And Gabriel, too," he added, but Dean noticed that his brother hadn't clarified if Gabriel had been doing the ripping or receiving it.

"So, um, speaking of Cas," Dean began, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully, "when I blacked out, I guess my mind was talking to Cas. You know, like a bond of some sort." At Sam's questioning look, Dean lifted his shirt over his head to show Sam the feather that was fused to his chest. "It's a part of his Grace," Dean explained. "Since he's my guardian angel, I guess that his feather has prominence on my chest. He told me that the rest of the feathers that we accumulate go on our shoulder blades, like wings. That way-"

"The resulting accumulation of Grace would essentially transform any human into a partial angel," Hadriel broke in quietly, his green eyes flashing with the bright realization. "Castiel suggested using collected Grace?" he murmured. "It's risky, but obviously he believes it will give us an advantage in the battle against Heaven. God would be angry, but since when did we ever care what he thought?"

Dean smirked at the slow reaction from the angel. "So, I'm in if you think it's a good idea. Sam? Are you willing to do this?"

Sam shuffled his feet nervously. "I think that it would be a good option in order to better lay siege to Heaven. I'm in if Dean's in. I want to be at the best of my abilities in order to save Gabriel and take down Timoriel. Hell," he laughed humorlessly, "I want to take my turn kicking God's ass." He glanced at the angels. "Sure," he said. "I'll do it."

Hadriel nodded, and then the angels briefly withdrew to a far corner of the warehouse. They were doing something with their wings, Dean could see, because they had manifested their holy appendages. Soon, they were back. Each of them was holding one or two feathers. First, Eltrael stepped over to Sam. He put down his two feathers and picked up Gabriel's. "In order to proceed with the ritual, it is required that you first have your guardian angel's feather attached to your chest."

Sam nodded his understanding, removing his shirt. "I'm ready," he said, closing his eyes. Dean felt a pang of sympathy for his brother as Eltrael held Gabriel's feather to Sam's chest and murmured an Enochian chant under his breath. Sam's eyes screwed tighter shut in pain as the feather was burned into the skin of his chest with a glow of silvery light. Once Eltrael stepped back, Dean could see Sam examining the archangel's feather on his chest with mild interest. "Well," he announced, "let's get to it."

Saziel stepped forward first. "I will give each of you one of my feathers," he said quietly. "Turn around." The two brothers spun around in unison, baring their scarred backs to the old angel. Saziel nodded approvingly. "You are both strong," he appraised. Then he raised one of his silky black feathers to Sam's right shoulder blade and the other to Dean's left. A crackle of lightning filled the room as the two black feathers seared themselves into the Winchesters' flesh. Saziel smiled at the boys' backs affectionately once the ritual was done, patting Sam's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "Good luck," he chuckled as he stepped back. "You're going to need it."

Kyriel approached next, but she only held one feather. She pressed the jagged brown feather of an avenger angel to Dean's other shoulder, exactly opposite from Saziel's. "This will feel cold," she warned the hunter. Dean braced himself, but nothing prepared him for the frigid feeling that shot through his right shoulder. _This must be what the dark side of the moon is like_, he reflected quietly and humoressly. As Kyriel moved away, Dean flexed his shoulders, feeling the newly acquired Grace thrumming through his veins like liquid fire. He felt new and powerful...he felt like an angel.

Eltrael came up to Sam. He carefully placed the shining golden feather to Sam's left shoulder blade. The gold shone against Sam's tanned skin as the hunter flinched at the sudden shot of warmth that rushed from the feather that was being fused to his flesh. He, too, felt the effects of the new Grace in his systems, coursing through his veins, rushing side by side with his human and demon blood. That, along with the added boost of Gabriel's supercharged archangelic Grace, made him feel a particular lightheadedness at the rush of power in him. "Good luck, friend," Eltrael said solemnly, and Sam nodded his thanks tensely.

Hadriel and Circiel came to Dean simultaneously, pressing blue and silver feathers to the older hunter's back. Dean's back arched uncontrollably at the searing pain in his back as the angelic power was burned into his skin with a burn that he hadn't felt the like of since his time in Hell. As he fell to his knees, gasping, Alariel scorched Sam into oblivion with the combined fire of both his and Timoriel's wing feathers. Sam groaned involuntarily at the overwhelming rush of seriously unholy agony that burned hot and cold in impossible ways. The angels stepped back and appraised the red skin surrounding the new feathers on the brothers' backs. They were already setting into the hunters' flesh so that they looked like tattoos.

Dean looked over at Sam, his sides heaving from panting. But then he found that the pain was dissolving into the warm white light in his body, disappearing in a rush of euphoria. He stood, grabbing Sam's arm to help the larger hunter up. "Dude," he whispered, the question meant for Sam, the angels, and who knew who else? "Are Sam and I angels?"

Circiel tilted her head imperceptibly, a curious look in her eyes. "I guess we could call you fledglings," she said slowly, as if testing out the words on her vessel's tongue. She tossed the Winchesters their shirts, and the boys gingerly pulled the fabric over their newest additions. "Sure, you may not have all of our full powers, but, given enough time, you can probably fly and kill demons and things like that. Sam, you might be able to do more, given your extra archangel boost and your...original additions," she added awkwardly, and Sam ducked his head at the reference to his demon blood.

Dean grinned widely, and Sam slung an arm around his brother's shoulders. "So what do you say, Dean?" he chuckled, shaking the shorter man affectionately. Dean's heart lit up as he saw his brother smile for the first time in months.

He smiled up at his baby brother, then smirked suggestively at the angels. "So," he began, "how's about we get ready to fight God?"

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><p><strong>Now that was a long chapter by my personal standards! What do you guys think? Oh, and if you hate it, TOO BAD. If you love it, good for you! Keep the reviews coming! Suggestions for what happens next? I'm sensing some Gabriel in the future!<strong>


	10. There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

**Hi again. So, nothing much going on today. How about you? Yeah. So, here is the 10th chapter of my admittedly weird story. Though I have to admit, it's cool to have 'angeled up' Winchester boys. **

**Note: This alternative storyline is set after season 7, with no regard to future episodes. Whatever happens in the real Supernatural world does, but I am not recognizing those events in my story, except the return of Cas (It has to happen or I'll die!).**

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><p>"You see," Eltrael began as he and Sam walked along the perimeter of the warehouse, "angels have specific responsibilities, powers, and restrictions. With your abilities, both angelic and…otherwise, you may have more advanced or numerous powers than your brother. Bear in mind that your humanity will remain intact, no matter how much Grace you collect. You began as a human, and you shall forever remain so. You have a soul, and this will never change. Now," Eltrael continued, "it is time to begin to hone your new abilities."<p>

Sam squared his shoulders boldly, wincing at the burning ache that shot up from his still-sore shoulder blades. Eltrael smiled weakly and pressed his fingers to the spot on Sam's back where his own feather resided, lessening the pain in Sam's shoulders. "Okay, so what do I have to do?" Sam asked once the ache vanished.

Eltrael vanished for a moment and returned holding a struggling person. Sam peered closer and saw that the human had the black eyes of a demon. "Begin by exorcising the demon with your mind," Eltrael commanded. "Just utilize the abilities you've had. It's just that they're enhanced.

The partial human glanced warily at the demon. "I don't feel comfortable using those powers…" he began, but was silenced with a glare from his angelic mentor. Then he stood in front of the demon and held out his right hand, willing the hellish spirit to leave its human meat suit. It surprised Sam that he barely had to concentrate before the demon blood and angel Grace in him took over, yanking the black cloud of the demon from its body.

"Catch and retrieve it, and put it back into the human," Eltrael ordered next, and Sam tentatively put his hand in front of the human's mouth, pushing the cloud of jet black smoke into the human's body. The demon, forced into a kneeling position, spat at Sam.

"We've heard about you, Winchester," the demon sneered. "We've heard about your special little angel rocket boosters. And Daddy Dearest wants his new and improved vessel to come and yank him from hell again, with all the new bells and whistles that he got from his angel boyfriend."

Overcome by fury, Sam shot his arm out and placed his hand the demon's forehead, sending all of the rage and hate he had into a single charge of power. Seconds later, white-blue light exploded from the face of the demon, and the human fell to the ground.

"Ha! What do you know? You just killed your first demonic douchebag with your brand new big boy powers!" Dean's cackle rang out, and Sam whirled to see his brother leaning against the warehouse wall, his arms folded casually.

Sam frowned. "When the hell did you get here?"

Dean gave Sam a mock-thoughtful look, and then began counting on his fingers. "Let's see…it's 8:32 on Tuesday, so…about two seconds ago."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Stretched my 'wings' for the first time with Kye." Dean smirked. "So while you were ganking demons, I was jumping around the property with these little attachments. They're uncomfortable, you know," he commented, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. "And they ache like a bitch." He put up his fists, playfully punching Sam on the upper arm, then quickly spun his brother to tap the feathers that were hidden underneath Sam's cotton shirt. "So how's about we go try to fly around, eh?"

Sam looked to Eltrael, and the hunter's dark-haired mentor nodded his approval. "Let's go, then," Sam agreed, and the two brothers walked off together.

Once they were out of earshot of Eltrael, Dean's cheerful demeanor slipped away in a heartbeat. The hunter-turned-angel sighed deeply, the bounce going out of his step. "For the love of God, Sam, what the hell are we doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Sam, you damn well know what I'm talking about. We're freaking angels, for crying out loud! Yeah, I love Cas, and I'm sure you have feelings for Gabriel, but this? Of course we want to save them from whatever is going on in Heaven, but I just want to know: why are we doing this to ourselves? It's a poison that we can't take back, Sam. It's like the demon blood that Yellow Eyes gave you, but this time we did it to ourselves. We've got angel juice sloshing around in our meat, and I'm through with all of this shit! I'm out, I'm done!" Dean sat down on the hard ground, putting his head in his hands in defeat. "I can't even trust these guys. I can't trust you; I can't trust Cas or Gabe. I can't even trust God anymore, Sammy. It's all going to hell, Sam, and we're right at the center. We've been at the center our whole lives." Dean squeezed his eyes shut, waiting, but there was no girly chick-flick response from Sam. Dean opened one eye, and saw that Sam was gone. "Sam?"

Suddenly, a familiar growl filled the air. Dean lifted his head and was shocked to see the Impala rumbling just two yards away. Sam was hanging out the driver's side, a triumphant 'You're jealous that you didn't think of this earlier' smirk on his face. "Wings aren't half bad, are they?" he called, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut. "How's this for flying?"

Dean ran to his car, running his hands over the hood, the wheels, and the doors. "Hey, baby," he exclaimed. "Long time no see!" He was grinning so hard that his cheeks hurt. He hadn't seen his Impala since the two of them had tracked Hadriel and Rentiel to the warehouse and they'd left the car at the motel. To think that his baby had been gathering dust for four straight months! "So, how about a ride around Angel Boot Camp?" he chuckled. When Sam grinned, Dean jumped into the familiar driver's seat, tapping the wheel impatiently as Sam got into the passenger's side. The second that Sam's door was closed, Dean stepped on the gas and the car roared out of its spot, pulling 90 miles an hour in a matter of seconds. AC/DC blared out of the speakers, filling the car with the most wonderful sounds that Dean had ever heard. Dean laughed out loud, he was so happy. It seemed like this was the perfect way to fix a day that sucked ass.

"Hello, Samuel. Hello, Dean."

Dean stomped on the brakes, and the two brothers whirled in their seats to see Gabriel sitting stiffly in the backseat. The brainwashed angel's stern frown deepened as he peered at the hunters. "Feathers," he mused, "how clever of you."

Sam swallowed. "Hi, Gabe."

Gabriel turned his head so that his emotionless amber gaze rested on that of his former lover. For a moment, a flicker of recognition glimmered in his eyes, but then it was gone, obscured by the cold amber that remained. "Samuel. We need to talk." He snapped his fingers, and the two were gone, leaving Dean sitting in his Impala, the AC/DC ringing out into his ears not sounding so wonderful anymore.

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><p>Gabriel, the archangel who had rebelled and escaped to Earth for centuries, was back under the control of God.<p>

He still could struggle beneath the bonds that held him captive in his vessel's body, but God spoke through Gabriel's lips. As much as the bright, vibrant personality launched volleys of archangelic fury on the chains on his Grace, Gabriel could not escape. He knew who he was, and he knew that he had submitted to his Lord's control. He also knew that he loved Sam Winchester. He'd said so himself, swearing it on the honor of God himself. And then he'd realized it. Samuel Winchester, the confused little Sasquatch of a human, was the key to Gabriel's escape from himself. So he'd forced his way through the slightest cracks in his bonds and brought himself to the 1967 Chevy Impala. That car was his saving grace, no pun intended. It'd brought Gabe back to where he belonged.

And now he sat on a familiar beach in Hawaii, on an equally familiar beach blanket, next to an extremely familiar human. He'd escaped God, for a brief moment at least. "Sam," he breathed, "it's so good to see you again."

Sam frowned warily at the archangel, and that broke Gabriel's heart. The lack of trust in his hunter's eyes shattered his existence. "Gabriel," he began, running his hand exasperatedly through his own shaggy brown hair.

_So it's Gabriel, not Gabe, eh? So that's how you want to play the game. Well, Sammy boy, let's play. And I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve._

"Where the hell have you been?" Sam exploded. "The last time I saw you, you pretty much told me that you didn't love me anymore, and now you expect me to just welcome you back after everything I've gone through for you? I started a war in _Heaven_, for God's sake, and-"

Gabriel lunged forward at that moment and silenced Sam with his lips. The archangel's human sighed and grabbed the smaller man's body, pulling them backwards onto the blanket. For a moment, they lay there, with Sam on his back, staring up at Gabriel with those wide puppy dog eyes that drove Gabe crazy. Then-

"You're back," Sam breathed, and then Gabe fisted his hands in his hunter's shirt and kissed Sam full on the lips, letting all four months' worth of pent-up hurt and angst and love pour into their embrace as the hunter and the archangel lay on the blanket. Sam traced his thumb along the line of Gabriel's jaw, and Gabe could see the awe and lust that glowed in his human's eyes. Gabe leaned into the touch, savoring the feel of being loved again. For once, he let himself be the one being comforted. Sam spoke up, quietly. "What happened to you?"

Gabe looked away from Sam's curious hazel gaze for a moment. _I don't want to do this to you, Sammy. The truth will kill you._ He sighed. "Sam, when Castiel and I were taken, we were tortured by other angels up in Heaven." He paused as a low growl of anger rose in Sam's throat, but then continued. "Cas refused to submit to the influences of obedience. God knew that I, as an archangel, would be impossible to break. So he returned from hiding and took over. So when I told you that I didn't care about you anymore, I...it was God talking, Sammy, I swear."

Sam, who had been silent the entire time, grabbed Gabe's chin and forced the archangel to meet his eyes. Gabriel stared into Sam's green-brown gaze, shivering as he heard the intensity of his human's voice. "Gabriel, I believe you, and I swear that I'll never stop loving you. I started a war against Heaven to save you, Gabe. And, well, I went to more extreme lengths."

It was Gabriel's turn to turn intense and infuriated. "Sam Winchester, what in the name of my admittedly idiotic Father did you do to yourself?" Sam's response was to remove his shirt, revealing his familiar, muscled, battle-scarred chest. But Gabriel's mouth opened in shock as he traced his fingers over the feather on his human's chest. It was his own feather, Gabe realized with shock. "Turn around," he ordered, unfamiliar tears rising in his throat as he realized what his Sammy had done to himself. And a jolt ran through his Grace as he saw the four other wing feathers fused to Sam's back. One was Eltrael's, one was Saziel's, one was Timoriel's (the bastard), and the last was Alariel's. They were all the feathers of the allies of Gabe, with Timoriel as the exception. "For the love of humanity, Sam," he breathed, "why did you do this to yourself?"

Sam briefly touched his lips to Gabriel's, and then drew back to meet his archangel's eyes. "I did it for you," he insisted. "To save you." And then he was back in contact with Gabriel in a heated kiss, tangling his hands in the smaller man's golden brown hair. Gabe responded eagerly, clambering on top of Sam with the enthusiasm of a Trickster. He licked his way into Sam's mouth, tasting mint mouthwash and desire. Without detaching himself from the hunter, he snapped his fingers to vanish away his shirt, though he winced as he realized that he had exposed his candy-filled stomach. Sensing his angel's discomfort, Sam grabbed Gabriel by the waist and kissed the shorter man's slightly bulging stomach. "Don't worry," he murmured as he returned to kissing Gabriel's neck, "I'm fine with whatever you have to offer."

Gabriel grabbed Sam by the shoulders and pulled both of their bodies up into sitting positions; Gabe was sitting in Sam's lap with his legs wrapped around the hunter's waist. He waggled his eyebrows mischievously, grinning wickedly at the larger man. "_Anything_ I have to offer?"

Eyes flashing, fingers moving, Sam smirked as his hands trailed down Gabriel's chest to reach the top of his jeans. "_Almost_ anything," he chuckled. "We have to get back to Dean and the others. However..." He devilishly let his hands rest for a moment on the growing bulge in Gabriel's pants, but yanked his hands away the second that Gabe groaned in anticipation. "This'll have to wait until later," he whispered in his angel's ear, and Gabriel shivered as Sam's breath whispered into his ear, deliciously burning and hot. The archangel had to bite his tongue to keep from whimpering out Sam's name. He didn't want to submit to the raging feelings that were bubbling in his stomach.

"Fine," he hissed through his teeth through the lust in his system that had not been satisfied. "Let's go back to that old, disgusting, no-privacy-allowed warehouse." But then he hesitated after he snapped their shirts back on. "Sam, what am I gonna do about God's control?"

Sam frowned in concentration. Gabriel observed how the hunter's jaw always stiffened up when the human was thinking. _It's cute, _he thought, chuckling in spite of the situation. He sobered up when Sam spoke up thoughtfully. "Well, how are you out of his control now?"

"Well, now that I think about it, it's you that's bringing me back. I think it's my Grace in you that keeps me out of God's reach. So maybe if I stick with you, I can maybe stay myself. So..." he trailed off, grinning cheekily up at Sam.

The hunter groaned exasperatedly, rolling his eyes in a mock-annoyed gesture. "What, Gabe?"

Gabriel bounced out of Sam's reach, relishing the feel of running through the sand like a human. "So...I hope that your bed is big enough for two!" As Sam lunged to grab the former Trickster, Gabriel snapped his fingers and the two of them flew in a whoosh back to the Impala.

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><p>Dean was curled up on the seat of his car, sobbing like he'd just learned how to cry. He was crying about so freaking much that he didn't know what the hell he was crying about. He loved Cas. Now he'd lost Cas. He loved his innocent, awesome little Sammy. Now he'd lost his baby brother. And he grudgingly loved Gabe. Now he'd lost Gabe. And fuck, he missed his damn humanity, for God's sake! He was jacked up with angel fuel, and it felt like every breath he took was just another breath towards suicide. Dean just couldn't take it anymore. Not for Cas, not for Gabe, not even for his Sammy. He hated being alive. He had ever since he'd watched Jake stab Sam in the back all those years ago. Hell, he'd hated being alive ever since Yellow Eyes had killed his mother. He took out his knife from his pocket and dug the tip into his palm. Dean ignored the pain and watched as his dark red blood oozed out, shot through with streaks of whitish blue light. That mixed with his salty tears, and he halfheartedly wiped the mixture off on his jeans, watching the results of his pain stain the blue denim. Next, he slowly raised the knife again, this time towards his wrists. He was inches away from oblivion, from the darkness that would take him to the light...<p>

"Dean! Stop! What the hell are you doing?"

The defeated hunter-turned-angel shot his head up, amazed to see Sam sitting just inches away on the passenger side. His baby brother, no longer full of hate and pain, was lunging over to grab the knife from Dean's hands. "No, Sammy," Dean slurred, but his speech was not altered by alcohol. He was drunk on hate. "Sammy, you gotta let me do this! I can't take it anymore! Just let me go to Cas! I belong with Cas! He'll take care of me in Heaven, and we'll be together, and-" He stopped as Gabriel reache over from behind Sam and placed his fingers on his forehead.

"Sleep," the archangel instructed, and Dean fell into a blackness that he welcomed with open arms.

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><p>Sam gazed down at his older brother, astounded by the pain that had been obvious in his brother's eyes just moments before. Gabriel rubbed his back reassuringly, all traces of mischief gone from the gesture. "He'll be okay," Gabe murmured in Sam's ear. "His soul is aching for his mate. Cassie will be back with him in no time. Just you wait, Sam."<p>

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Sam whispered back, tears growing in his eyes as he recalled the glimpses he'd seen in Gabe's mind of Cas lying, broken and bloody, on a cot in an angelic prison cell. "How are we going to save Cas?"

Gabe smiled into Sam's neck, his tongue darting out briefly to caress the hunter's soft skin. "We do what angels do best, of course!"

Sam glanced back at Gabriel, gathering the archangel into his arms. "And what do angels do best, might I ask?" he inquired playfully, flipping Gabriel's hair around as he buried his face in the warm chestnut locks. Gabe pulled back and grinned at his mate.

"We smite, of course!"

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><p><strong>I was getting tired of so much angst, so I brought Gabe back! Yay! PleasepleasePLEASE review! I was so sad when I didn't get any reviews for Chapter 9! (Though I do admit, even I hated that chapter. It sucked.)<strong>


	11. Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

**Hello! Oh my gosh, I was so happy to see all of the reviews! Yes, I loved getting all fluffy in that chapter, but as usual, I had to kill the moment with a good ol' attempted suicide. Well, read on, my friends. Here comes chapter 11! Warning, though: It may be a short one!**

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><p>Sam Winchester remembered the Pit. He remembered being the chew toy of Lucifer and Michael, and he sure as hell remembered feeling the presence of the fallen archangel hitching a ride in his flesh. But now that he sat with Dean on the steps to the abandoned warehouse, he realized that no memory could ever prepare him for what it felt like to actually be an angel. It was that rush of power, that exhilaration, that feeling of pure <em>freedom<em> that gave Sam such euphoria and unhindered joy. It was those feelings that allowed him to go flying with Gabriel or just smite any monster he encoutered. Sam was happy as an angel. Of course, that would never matter if Dean ever succeeded in committing suicide.

Ever since Sam's older brother had attempted to slit his own wrists in the driver's seat of the Impala, Dean had always carried the angel sword in that leather sheath at his waist. It was ready for a deadly use that Sam dreaded. However, every time that Dean raised the holy blade to any one of his many body parts, Sam would fly in and knock his brother unconscious. And then Dean would wake up an hour later, bound to his bed while Sam ranted and raved about how 'life's a precious thing' and 'do you think this would make Castiel happy, to know that you want to end yourself?' And Dean would apologize, lying through his teeth about how he'd never do it again, blah, blah, blah.

The thing was, it had happened nine times now.

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><p>Dean Winchester remembered Hell. He remembered enduring every moment of thirty years of being torn to shreds, day after day. He remembered saying yes to that dickhead Alastair and making that first cut into a screaming soul. And he remembered clawing himself out of his grave, courtesy of a very special angel. But he was never prepared for the moment that he realized that his angel had disappeared into the inner workings of Heaven. It was that spike of loss, that crashing wave called loneliness, that anger and hurt being contained to a single human that had gotten him this way. He knew that he could fly to Heaven a any time to be with Cas, but he knew that it would do no good for either of them. The darkness that welled up in his heart was inescapable by flight or by just getting Cas back without a fight. Dean had to settle this the Winchester way.<p>

He had to kill every holy bastard that had touched his angel.

Sure, killing himself wouldn't really be beneficial to his operation, but he needed to keep his adrenaline up. He needed to watch as his blood drained away, only to be saved at the last moment by Sam. For once, Dean realized with a mirthless chuckle, his baby brother was the one being the protector. Not the other way around. Truth be told, Sam had taken care of himself for years now. He'd only needed that little boost that Dean had given by, oh, _selling his soul_. Oh, and that time when Sam had gotten high on demon blood and started the freaking _apocalypse_! No biggie. Dean knew that he'd done some idiotic things for his brother, but Sam wasn't such a saint either. But of course, Dean just _had_ to forget all of those times when Sam had gotten possessed, when he'd been without a soul, or when he'd thrown himself at the Devil, Michael, and a giant hole into hell. Not to mention when Sam had risked his own life until he was inches from death and Dean was having a goddamned heart attack from fear and stress and guilt.

But that was all water under the bridge now, wasn't it?

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><p>Gabriel lay on his back in the soft, queen-sized bed that he'd poofed up in his and Sam's curtained-off haven. His Sasquatch was cuddled up beside him, his deep breaths tickling Gabe's neck and chin. The former Trickster stroked at Sam's luscious chestnut locks, letting the silky strands fall aimlessly past his fingers. Sam stirred at the touch - damn, that kid's hair was sensitive - and woke up, stretching with that cute little tired groan that drove Gabe crazy. "Morning, sunshine," Gabriel whispered, grinning cheekily at his lover's face while poking Sam's nose. The hunter playfully swatted away his angel's hand, replacing the annoying touch with a peck on the lips.<p>

"Hey." Sam struggled to sit up; Gabriel's arms were wrapped in a vicelike grip on his waist, so it was a bit of a challenge. "What's up in the world of the tiniest archangel in existence?" He grinned at the affronted look on Gabe's face and began to laugh. Gabriel retaliated by digging his hands deeper into Sam's lower back, tempting a groan of pain/pleasure from the human. "Uncalled for," Sam grunted grumpily. "I was just joking, so you don't have to go and be a tease about this."

"What are you talking about?" Gabe looked up at his human with his trademark 'I'm so innocent' eyes. "I wasn't doing anything like THIS." As he said the last word, Gabriel detached one of his arms from Sam's waist and trailed his fingers down the human's chest, skittering down towards the thin cotton boxers. They rested lightly on the front of the boxers, delicately tapping out a rhythm that made Sam groan with want. "What's that, Sammy?" Gabe smirked up at Sam, who had his 'this is a bitchface but I really want you to have sex with me right now' bitchface on. Sam's eyes were annoyed and begging at the same time. "Sorry, Sam, I didn't catch that last thing that you said." Gabriel smiled his very best Trickster smile and removed his hand, much like the way that Sam had totally ripped him off that first day in Hawaii. "I _am_ the Trickster, Sammy. Now you've got your just desserts."

Sam glared playfully at Gabe and swung his legs off the bed, reaching over to his duffel bag. As he stripped off his dirty shirt, Gabriel couldn't help but reach out and stroke his feather on Sam's incredibly muscled chest. It had become a favorite pasttime of his, just sitting with Sam and talking and observing. Sam would, it turn, lightly skitter his fingertips over the angry red scar that stretched across his angel's abdomen, courtesy of Lucifer. It was just the little things that reminded them that neither of them was truly human, no matter how they acted. Throughout Gabe's epiphany, Sam had changed his shirt and was buttoning his pants by the time that Gabriel woke up from his little soul-searcher trip. Gabe, observing the trouble that Sam had gone to in order to get dressed, merely snapped his fingers and was instantly clad in faded blue jeans and a wine-red shirt. "Smooth," Sam snorted, and then he pushed his way through the ratty curtains and entered the main warehouse. Gabriel followed, though at a slower pace. He knew what to expect.

Glares of suspicion immediately snapped onto the faces of the angels that sat at the large, round pine table. Circiel's glare was more of a sneer, really, the little smartass that she was. Saziel was frowning; Alariel had his eyes cast down; Hadriel and Eltrael were scowling at him, and Kyriel just pointedly turned her back. They still didn't trust their older brother, not after they'd found out what Gabriel had done to Cas when he'd been brainwashed by God. Sam instinctively shifted his position into an admittedly intimidating stance, one that placed his archangel in Sam's range of protection. Gabe smiled up at his protector, whispering, "Thanks, Sammy." Sam just grinned in a Trickster-worthy fashion and put his arm around Gabe. Sam steered the two of them away from the hostile angels and moved towards Dean's 'room.'

"We have to check on him," Sam commented worriedly, running his free hand through his hair.

Gabe snorted. "What for? The kid can take care of himself."

Sam's affectionate gaze turned to fury. "For God's sake, Gabriel, he's suicidal! I can't leave him alone for five minutes without coming back to him about to slit his wrists! I can't believe you just said that to me!" The hunter scowled and shrugged out of Gabriel's reach, ignoring the archangel's calls of 'Sammy!' He shoved aside the curtain to Dean's room and vanished inside, leaving Gabriel to stand there like an idiot. With nothing more to do, he snapped up a beanbag chair and some M&M's and waited for his little bitch of a boyfriend to return.

_Damned hunters. They think they know everything and are all high and mighty. Well, I've got news for you: if anyone is high and mighty, it's angels. Literally. Oh, and Sammy, playing the suicide card? Uncalled for. Though I do have to admit that you are the one thing keeping me out of the reach of God, so...I guess I owe you a measly apology. Just one, though. I may have a soft spot for you, but I'm still Mr. Badass Holy Archangel Policeman of My Father. Hell, yeah, I am. _

With that little guilt speech set in his mind, Gabriel stood up, dusted the M&M's wrappers off of his lap, and strode over towards Dean's room. As he approached, he could hear hushed voices inside. One was clearly that of his Sasquatch; the other was Dean.

"De, this has gone way too far. You're blowing this way out of proportions."

"Oh, really? Yeah, I'm sure that I'm _totally_ overreacting here."

"Yeah, you are! When I lost Gabe, I didn't try to off myself every day!"

"Oh, because you didn't start a fucking _war_ in Heaven or anything, Sam! I'm sure I'm totally imagining that you did that, Sam. I guess I'll just add that to the list of things that you say are wrong with me. And trust me, it's one hell of a list."

"For the love of God, why won't you just leave me alone and come fight the fucking war instead of moping about it? I think that Cas is our highest priority right now, and if you haven't noticed already, he's in Heaven! You know, where the war is?"

Gabriel could hear the cold steel in Dean's voice as he answered. "Sam, I know that you care about me and all, but how about you go off and be pretty while I get ready for this fight? I don't see Gabriel or any of the other guys trying to pressure me into this. Of course, Gabe always did follow you like a lapdog, so I'm guessing he's with you on this."

Sam's hateful silence made Gabe's fists clench. _Say something!_ he wanted to scream, but he had to let Sam respond to this one. "Dean, what the hell are you playing at? Do you really think that by insulting Gabe, you can get somewhere? You're a fucking _child_, Dean! That's what you are! And once you get your act together and realize that Cas is dying while you play with knives, you come and talk to me." With that, Sam stormed out of Dean's room, and before he trotted after Sam, Gabriel could catch a glimpse of Dean standing by the curtain. His eyes were cold, and a sneer of hatred was growing on his face. In that split second, Gabe could barely see the brief flash of wings that exploded from Dean's back before they disappeared again and left Gabriel wondering if he had just imagined it all.

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><p><strong>Yes, it was short. Sorry, but I needed a filler chapter of angst and rivalry and stuff before the big fight chapter. What do you think? Well, you know how to tell me what you think, don't you? Reviews, my friends. Reviews are the key to me ever finishing this story. And if you don't, you'll always be left wondering which AWESOME character I was going to reincarnate in the rest of the story. Whoops, too bad! So, review! <strong>

**Love and unicorns forever,**

**ImpalaAngel13**


	12. Don't You Cry No More

**Hey guys! Wow, chapter 12 already? Even I'm surprised! Hours upon hours spent in my sunroom, typing away at my laptop until my neck got sore from sitting in the same position too long. Oh, well, it was worth it! Anyways, thanks for the reviews! They make me very happy. Yup, so you definitely deserve this chapter. You've earned it!**

**Disclaimer: Supernatural is not mine.**

**Warning: The fight descriptions in this chapter may be a bit intense. You have been warned. Hence the message. Yeah, this one.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Castiel sat quietly and dejectedly in his prison cell. His wings had finally been allowed to fold into his vessel, having been broken and healed enough times for Cas to think that he could never fly again. He hadn't had any chance of contact with Dean since he'd been caught talking to the hunter through the bond that they had. He'd endured everything now. He'd plunged into Hell twice to save each of the Winchester brothers. He'd been dragged out of his vessel and brought back to Heaven, where his brain had been washed. He'd been witness to the beginning of the end, and had endured seeing his brothers die before his eyes. He'd been blown up by Lucifer. He'd made a deal with a demon to burst open Purgatory. He'd nearly been torn to shreds by the Leviathan, only to be brought back again by his sheer dumb luck. And he'd Fallen from Heaven the second that he laid his eyes on Dean Winchester. Castiel had been tortured in ways he couldn't even imagine, all for the two humans he loved with every shred, every fiber of his existence. And now he barely glanced up as his door swung open and an angel stepped in. "Brother," he sighed, falling backwards on his cot with his eyes screwed shut, "you know that I have nothing to say to you."

Timoriel's cold, soft laugh echoed through Cas's ears. "Castiel, do you really believe that I would waste my precious time on low-down filth like _you_?" A sharp blade point dug briefly into Cas's skin, near his still-closed eyes, and the victimized angel flinched at the familiar pain. But then Cas could feel Timoriel move away, and the torturous angel began talking again. "No, Castiel, we are putting you in advanced lockdown, with extra powerful sigils from every religion in God's universe. The Winchesters, Gabriel, and the rebels have stormed Heaven. They are coming for us as we speak. Namely, they're coming for you. So sit tight." Cas opened one eye at that and stared at the spot where Timoriel had been just seconds before. The cell was empty now, and all of the walls of the room were covered in glowing sigils that were indeed from every religion known to Heaven and its angels.

"Great," he groaned, but inside, his Grace was singing. Dean was coming for him!

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><p>Dean cut and slashed a path through swathes of angels. After two weeks of tense silence between him, Sam, and Gabriel, Dean had finally given in to the bitchfaces and matching puppy dog eyes- though Sam would always be best at the kicked puppy eyes- and agreed to go up to Heaven and fight. For two weeks, the full-fledged angels had taught Dean and Sam the proper way to fight angels with their limited powers. The two brothers now knew how to fight angels one-on-one and in hordes, which was apparently what they usually chose to do. That morning, they had sharpened their weapons and called Bobby. The grizzled hunter had been flown to their warehouse and had been extremely surprised to find out that both brothers had been sleeping with angels. Dean chuckled while stabbing an angel through the heart as he remembered Bobby ranting for about ten minutes, calling them all possible variations of 'ya idjits!' The hunter was doing mission control down in the warehouse, ready with all kinds of Enochian magic to heal any of the rebel angels that came down injured.<p>

And now Dean Winchester ripped his angel adversaries to pieces with flash after flash of hot white light. He saw Sam striding powerfully forward just ahead, laughing uproariously in mirth as he casually swung his sword and brought down angel after angel after angel. Gabriel was smirking next to Alariel as the two of them advanced through Heaven back to back, commander and general reunited after millennia. Saziel, with his easy grace and surprisingly fluid movements, was frowning grimly as he thrust his sword into the stomach of the angel that he'd been fighting for a matter of twenty seconds. Hadriel leaped and flipped like the ninjas in old movies that Dean loved, lashing out at totally unexpected times with his twin blades. Eltrael, Kyriel, and Circiel were all off fighting separately, acting as fearsome protectors for their comrades. Circiel, the little teenaged angel, was finally looking to Dean like she was in her element, stabbing her opponents in ways that impressed even Dean. When the brown-haired girl heard Dean's mental observation, she briefly turned and winked. "You ain't seen nothing yet!" she called over the clashing, beautiful-yet-dangerous echo of the holy thunder of battling angels.

"Dean, look out!"

The hunter turned and saw Sam lunging towards him. A second too late, he saw why. In the midst of destroying one holy douchebag, another had snuck up and was pouncing up, his sword raised high and glinting in the eerie half-light of a silver eclipse. As Dean raised his own blade to block the strike, the angel dropped to one knee and slashed Dean's right leg, rolling away as Dean cried out in pain. Sam, running towards his brother, didn't even take his eyes off of Dean as he swung his sword and lopped off the head of the escaping angel in a single, vengeful stroke. White light exploded from the lifeless body, leaving a new set of charred wingprints on the neatly groomed grass of Heaven's headquarters. Dean groaned and fell to his knees, clutching the wound with his free hand, the other still gripping the holy blade. Sam finally reached his brother, bending down and assessing the wound. "You okay?" he asked, searching Dean's face for any obvious pain. He somehow summoned up some bandages, quickly binding Dean's lower leg before he shot up again. "Stay safe," he warned, and then he leaped back into the fray.

Dean got to his feet gingerly, wincing at the expected pain. He stared after his brother sadly. "Yeah," he whispered, "You too, Sammy."

And then he whirled and stabbed an angel through his skull.

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><p>Eltrael fought alone.<p>

It had always been such. It had always been a simple rule of his existence, inscribed in his Grace since his creation: _You fight alone._

So he did so. Only now he did not fight for his fellow soldiers and brothers and sisters. He now fought for two humans that were not even human anymore, an old drunk, and two angels that had Daddy issues. And he fought alongside other angels that had rebelled against God's plans and had seeked refuge on Earth.

But still, Eltrael fought alone. No help, no partners during battle. He was a stray, created with a single rule etched in every strand of his existence: _You fight alone._

He was alone as he took on five of his brothers at once, occasionally letting out strobes of his powerful Grace to stun his opponents. He was alone as he took a slash to the arm, a jab to the hip. Eltrael was isolated as he felt the sharp tips of at least four swords pierce his flesh, cutting deeply into his heart, his neck, his stomach; his back. He was alone as he fell to the ground, alive, but only just. He was alone as his eyes truly opened and he saw his millennia of existence flash before his eyes.

_I am Eltrael. I feel pain now. I remember Sam and Dean Winchester. I remember fusing my feather to his flesh, making him what he is now. And farther back, through the ages and eras and dynasties. I remember Cain and Abel; Adam and Eve. I remember watching humanity grow and evolve from a simple creature with a loincloth into something entirely different and solely unique. I remember Lucifer's Fall, and how the other corrupted angels Fell. I am Eltrael. All I can feel now is pain, pain, so much pain, like knives cutting through my Grace, burning hot and cold and everything in between and beyond comprehension. Death is close. I am Eltrael, and Samuel Winchester is kneeling at my side. He shakes me, calls my name over and over, but I will not wake. He gets up; he knows that I am gone, that I cannot be saved. I am Eltrael, and I am not afraid. _

_I am Eltrael, and I fight alone._

And the Grace of Eltrael, the angel trained to be the lion in a field of millions of tigers, burst forth from his mouth, his nose, and the eyes that had once burned a bright green. It escaped, shattering into pieces that disappeared into the silver eclipse the dominated Heaven. But nobody noticed; nobody saw. They weren't watching for his death.

After all, Eltrael fought alone.

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><p>Sam had tears running down his face now, hot and wet against his skin. The glee was gone now; the exhilaration of battle had been extinguished. His friend had died. It was Eltrael, the shy angel who had showed him about the problem in Heaven. He was the only holy creature who had been willing to help Sam hone his powers after the hunter had become an angel. He had been Sam's best friend, had been there in his times of need. And now he was gone. And Sam knew who was responsible for this whole mess. He knew who had started it all.<p>

Timoriel was going to pay.

Sam whirled and leaped beside his brother, lashing out with a sword he'd taken from the first angel that Gabriel had slaughtered after he'd gotten his own blade back. The new sword, though not as familiar to his touch as Gabriel's, was a suitable substitute and served its purpose well. As a partway angel, he did not need to close his eyes whenever a dying angel's Grace exploded from their vessel's body. So he stared into the eyes of an angel as he thrust the blade into the vessel's chest. "Timoriel," he snarled, the name serving as both question and answer.

The angel gasped around the sword. "Laboratory," he choked out, and then Sam shoved the blade in further, puncturing the angel's heart without a second thought. White light shot out of the angel's eyes, nose, and mouth, and Sam smirked as the body crumpled to the ground, trailing black smoke that settle in the shapes of charred wings. The fury at his friend's death just minutes earlier fueled his power and stoked at the fire that was his demon blood and angel Grace. He now spread his invisible wings and disappeared from the crowded battefield, reappearing in the laboratory in the inner workings of angelic headquarters. The screams and bloodcurdling cries from outside were now just whispers of sound that echoed up and down empty corridors.

Empty except for two.

Sam squared his shoulders, facing the small silhouette that approached him. A cold laugh, high and clear, bounced off the flawless white walls of the laboratory corridor. "Samuel Winchester! What a surprise! I've heard so much about you," Timoriel purred.

"Timoriel," Sam snarled. "I've a heard a lot about you too, you bastard." In a single, fluid motion, Sam flicked his wrist, allowing his sword to appear in his hand.

The eyes of the avenger angel widened, and it secretly made Sam shiver that those icy silver eyes were all that he could see of Timoriel. "My, my, Sam," Timoriel chuckled, stepping out of the shadows. "Aren't we just a bit on edge today?" Sam had no care for Timoriel's jibes now. His attention was focused on the angel's appearance. Timoriel was in the form of a six-year-old boy. The vessel's hair was a tousled blond and he had pale freckles splashed across his nose and cheeks. He wore a dark blue shirt and black jeans. Although he looked innocent at first glance, Sam could see that Timoriel's inhabitance had taken its toll on the young boy's appearance. His eyes, which were obviously supposed to be blue, were now tinted with a cold silver, and a cruel smile that Sam believed should never appear on a six-year-old's face was growing to show shining white baby teeth.

"You're not exactly what I expected," Sam began, striding up to Timoriel, "but I'll take what I can get." Before he even finished the sentence, Sam sprang into action, swinging his sword around on a direct path to Timoriel's neck. Just before the holy blade met its mark, the avenger angel sprang to life and raised his own sword with superhuman reflexes, meeting Sam's sword in a deadly cross just inches from his neck. Timoriel increased the pressure on his end of the cross, pushing the struggling blades closer to Sam's face.

"You may have fought other angels, Sam," Timoriel sneered as he forced Sam to his knees and the two of them were face to face, "but I'm the real deal."

Sam grinned a manic smile, meeting Timoriel's unnatural eyes with cold determination. "That may be so," he hissed, "but you forgot the biggest problem with your vessel." Sam removed one hand from his two-handed grip on his sword and shot it in a fist towards Timoriel. He felt his hand make contact with the vessel's stomach, knocking the angel backwards. As the unprepared angel lay helplessly on his back, Sam knelt down and thrust his sword through Timoriel's heart, staring into the avenger's shocked gaze as he drove the blade deeper and deeper, blood spurting up to coat Sam's hands in fiery red. "Too bad six-year-olds are tiny," he whispered, and removed the blade, flying away even before bright white light exploded from the angel's face and jagged black wingprints stained the immaculate white walls.

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><p>Dean turned and saw Sam appear beside him; his brother's hands were stained with fresh blood, but that was natural enough where they were. "Where the hell were you?" he shouted as they fought their way through the hallways of Heaven. "While you were gone, we made it in here. Eltrael's dead, though."<p>

Sam turned to Dean, and Dean was scared of the steel that resided in the hazel depths of his eyes. "I know," he responded. "Timoriel is dead, by the way. I killed him just now."

A rush of happiness shot through Dean as he processed the information. "That's great," he breathed as they entered the cell block of headquarters. "Now let's save Cas."

As Sam and Dean fought their way through the hordes of avenger angels, Dean could hear Cas screaming for him; calling him. And despite the pain in his leg, the hunter kept fighting. He stabbed and slashed, employing the torturous and agonizing techniques he'd used during his stay in Hell. For once, being the student of a psycho demon was a useful thing to have on his side. A flash of white light exploded from an angel every few seconds. Dean could see the cell door now, could see Cas—_his _Cas—gripping the bars and watching the scene with undisguised horror. Dean was so close, and after all those months alone and isolated, he was almost with his angel. However, as he fumbled with the angelic lock, a scream of terror nearly shattered his eardrums. Dean whirled to see that all of the rebel angels had fallen to their knees, staring up at a figure that was undoubtedly, indisputably God. And God had just snapped his fingers and killed Kyriel.

The thing was, Dean had never expected God to be Chuck Shurley.


	13. Prayers To An Absent Savior

**Hi again! So how do you like the character that I brought back from the inner workings of Season 5? I admit, it's ambitious to try this storyline, but any thirteen-year-old girl wants to try a new writing style, right? Also, a lot of the father comments were brought on since I was watching In My Time Of Dying while writing this. I love that episode! Anyways, onward to chapter 13! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, any of its characters, or any of its plotlines.**

**Note: As I was writing this, I'd been logged on continuously for a while, so when I tried to save the entire second half, it DELETED and told me to log back in. And then the beautiful story was gone. So I'm very sorry for that. And I literally almost cried, I was so upset. Seriously, two whole hours of work in one day all gone. Yeah, so just wanted to let you guys know so you wouldn't hate me for having a bad chapter.**

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><p>"Sam. Dean. So good to see you again." Chuck—or was it God?—smiled beneficently at the two hunters. "I admit, it was rash to try to come here. I want my sons and daughters back in Heaven. They have interfered on Earth for far too long."<p>

Dean stepped away from Cas's cell door, facing the deity that had not given a damn about the Apocalypse, had not even revealed himself to Cas when the angel had searched for God, and who had been one of his most trusted friends. "Um, God," he began, but God put up his hand to interrupt him.

"If it's easier to call me Chuck, then do so."

"Chuck, then." Dean corrected himself sarcastically and with mock politeness, trying to shove as much hatred into the words that he shot at God, whod just asked to be called by the name of their old friend. "Well, Chuck, when the hell were you going to tell us that you were the creator of the world? Because you didn't just disappear in the middle of the biggest crisis of our lives without even leaving a message! Oh, wait—" Dean glared at Chuck with his best I'm-going-to-rip-your-head-off glare, "You did."

Chuck/God frowned, running a hand wearily through his still-messy hair. "Dean, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. But do you seriously think that you would take it well if I up and told you that I'm God? Yeah, I don't think you'd take that well."

Sam spoke up. "Why do you want Castiel? And why did you brainwash Gabriel?" He put his bloodied arm around Gabriel's shoulders, which were clad in the tattered remains of his favorite wine-colored shirt. From under the protection of Sam's arm, Gabe stared in terror at his father.

"I love all of my children," Chuck explained, "and Gabriel and Castiel are no exception."

Dean protectively stepped backwards so that his back was touching the bars on Cas's cell door. "Your idea of love is whacked out, man. Brainwashing your own child for your own means? That's torture!"

Chuck swung his head around to face Dean. His eyes were burning with sudden fury. "I recall your own father being quite a bit like me. You know, with the military training and your obedience without question. And if I recall, you referred to him as 'a superhero' or even, once, 'a god.' I don't know, but that seems a lot like me."

Sam lowered his head, shooting a glance at Dean. "I hate to admit it, but he's right."

"Dude, pick a side!" Dean yelled.

"It's true, though! Dad was a freaking tyrant! He gave me a gun at age nine because I was scared of what's under my bed! He's exactly like God, Dean! Why do you think that we were the vessels for Michael and Lucifer? There's a reason!" Sam shouted back.

Chuck, who had been watching the scene with mild interest, spoke up. "I'm sorry to have angered you while taking away my sons—"

"Damn straight!" both brothers yelled.

"But I needed them, especially Gabriel. They needed to be punished. Gabriel ran away in Heaven's darkest hour, and Castiel, my second youngest son, went and impersonated me by taking in all the souls of Purgatory." Chuck shot a pointed glare at the trench coat-clad angel in the cell, and Cas looked away shamefully, shuffling his feet. Dean pressed himself against Cas's cell, directing his stink-eye at God. Ignoring the look of disgust, Chuck continued, "I had to teach them a lesson now that I'm back in Heaven."

Dean looked at Chuck. "And why exactly are you back?" he asked tensely.

"After what happened with Raphael when my eldest son and Lucifer were thrown into the pit-" At this, Chuck glared at Sam, who shuffled his feet and frowned, "I had to come back and restore order to Heaven. So I recollected all of my children like a sheperd would collect his flock. And now we are going to reassert our control over the Earth that we left behind." Chuck smiled cruelly. "I am God, after all. I rule Heaven and I rule Earth. This is my planet, and we are not leaving. Anyway, humans, my most impressive creations, have their assets. You, for example. You two Winchester boys, you're something else. Of course, for you, Sam, it's probably just the mix of human, demon, and angelic blood running through you as we speak. Dean, you are just a mystery to me." Chuck stroked his beard in the way that the old Chuck would. "Humans!" he chuckled. "A constant mystery, even to God himself. How ironic. The thing is, I like you humans. I don't want this beautiful Earth, this last of my great works, destroyed by a mere battle between my sons!"

"So, you just want peace? You don't want to destroy the world with the Apocalypse?" Sam looked wary. "Because the last time one of you guys tried to get Armageddon started, Cas became God. So...what? No Apocalypse? Just...more of the same? Because you just said that you didnt want to harms us; that you just wanted to reassert control. So, you're just going to check on Earth and make sure that nobody's going to do anything blasphemous and then you're going to leave again?"

Chuck snickered. "Not exactly."

"Well?" Sam spread his arms in a 'what do we do now' gesture. "I'm listening."

"The thing is, I don't want peace," Chuck expained slowly. "I want to make sure that you humans, you sad excuses for children that I abandoned, are staying in check. So I've devised a nice little plan for you guys." He bent down and touched his fingers to Kyriel's head, and the previously dead angel opened her eyes with a gasp of air. Dean stepped backwards yet again, his heart stopping momentarily as a new one began again.

Kyriel stood up, but somehow Dean could see that she wasn't the Kyriel that he'd known. In her eyes was the same emptiness he'd seen in Gabriel's eyes when he'd been brainwashed. The female angel stared in adoration at Chuck. "Father," she breathed, "you came back to us."

"Yes," Chuck smiled at his daughter. "And now I have a task for you." He pointed at Sam, Dean, Gabe, Cas, and the other rebel angels.

"Kill them."

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><p>Castiel looked over his shoulder in horror at the scene that was unfolding behind him. He shot a fearful glance at Chuck, his father, reincarnated and reappeared in their midst. He furiously scrubbed out another of the Enochian sigils on the walls of his cell. Just two more and he would be free-<p>

"Castiel. What. Are. You. Doing?"

_Father, please don't destroy me for this. I love You, I really do. I was the first to bow down when You professed that we were to obey and respect humankind; I cried when You left us in Heaven. Lord, I was Your most loyal son. Do not destroy me for being independent. _Cas scribbled out the last symbol and turned to Chuck. "Yes, Father?" he asked in his monotonous tone, trying valiantly to hide his triumph. As Chuck smiled cruelly, Cas sent out tendrils of his Grace to the inner workings of Dean, Sam, and the other rebel angels. _Be ready to fly_. Gabriel's head gave an almost imperceptible twitch, as if he'd been about to glance at his little brother, but he stopped the motion in time for Chuck not to notice. Instead, he quietly sent back a response in unison with their allies, all of them using the same code that they'd been trained to use when communicating in this unseen, unheard way.

_Affirmative. We're with you, Castiel._

And another, added response from Dean. _See you soon, Cas._

Cas broke his gaze from his friends as Chuck, Kyriel, and the other loyal members of the Holy Host raised their hands, releasing bright, blinding light that filled the cell block. Cas squinted at the brightness, wincing at the pain that was building up behind his eyeballs. Chuck's voice, booming with power behind his human voice, burst forth upon Cas's eardrums. "Castiel, Gabriel, Saziel, Alariel, Circiel, Hadriel, and Sam and Dean Winchester, you have one more chance. Join us as part of the Host, or you will be killed."

Dean strode forward, towards Chuck and his minions. Even in the blinding light, Cas could see the unnatural lightning crackling from the massive wings of emerald, cerulean, and pitch black that exploded from Dean's back. They crackled with Dean's fury and pent-up emotions. "As my dear old friend Cas would say," Dean snarled, plunging his own hands, which were holding Gaestel's sword, towards the center of Chuck's chest, "Assbutt!"

The world exploded. Cas felt himself thrown to the side by the sheer force and power of the blast that tore the world apart. It felt as though Heaven was collapsing, folding, expanding, transforming, and it didn't even feel like Heaven anymore. Cas cried out as he felt himself being thrown against the cell bars, crashing into another body. Through the wind and the chaos and the pure _Hell_ od it all, Cas spread his wings and attempted to take flight through the maelstrom. A hand shot out and grabbed Cas's arm, and as he shook it off, Castiel noticed that it had left smears of blood behind. He screamed into the howling wind. "DEAN!"

And suddenly it all stopped. The winds quieted, the earth stopped shaking, and the deafening cacophany of fire, explosions, and death was replaced by birds singing. And Castiel was alone, so alone and cold and scared.

_Oh, Lord, am I dead? Is this my Heaven? Have I been taken from Dean? And Dean, he has to be okay. He's essentially an angel; he'll be okay. He has to be. Oh, please God, or whoever my be listening, save Dean. If he's dead, I will gladly plunge into the deepest depths of Hell for him. Or for Sam. Both of them are worth saving. But me? Am I even alive? Body? Check. Hair? Yes, that is still intact. Suit and tie? Those are definitely there. And the trenchcoat. Dean would be angry if I didn't have it. Yes, it's there._

"Cas? Cas, come on and wake up! I just got you back, so don't you go and leave me...Please, Cas."

A warm, wet tear landed on Cas's cheek-_yes, that's still there too_-and he flinched. The wetness ran down his cheek and into his mouth. The saltiness tasted of sadness, of Dean's sadness and worry and fear and love. He opened his eyes immediately, surprised to find his gaze meeting emerald orbs just millimeters from his own. "Dean," Cas breathed, feeling his lips barely ghost across Dean's as he spoke. Suddenly, Dean was pulling them up, up, up. Cas barely looked around, barely noticed the overgrown parking lot that they stood in. Dean was holding him very close, in a way that Castiel found to be very appealing. As much as he wanted to just stand there, Cas couldn't help but comment. "I thought you didn't like it when I invaded your personal space," he whispered innocently.

"Not this time." Dean's voice was hot, needy, and dangerous as it burned its way into Castiel's ear, dripping with relief and love and lust. Cas looked to the hunter, shivering at the look in Dean's eyes.

"Dean-" he began, but then Dean grabbed both sides of his face and crushed his lips to Castiel's in a heated kiss. This was the kiss that they'd both been waiting to have for nearly half of a year, the kiss born of desire and hate and loneliness and months spent in their own personal Hells. The two of them wasted not time on tenderness and Dean quickly licked on Cas's lower lip. The angel let him in immediately, letting out a small moan as the close contact and pleasure stirred him into a shudder. Dean gripped him tighter, wedging one of his thighs between Cas's legs.

"God, I missed you," he groaned as he let his mouth descend to Castiel's throat. Cas threw his head back to let the hunter have better access to his skin. Both of them were clutching wildly at each other as Cas grinded his hips against Dean's thigh as he responded to the intense feelings of the attention from Dean. They were staggering now; Dean's mouth had returned to meet Cas's, and Dean wildly tore at the trenchcoat, trying to rip it off while still staying completely attached to his angel. He grunted with frustration, and Castiel couldn't help but chuckle.

"Dean, maybe we should find a bed or something..." he tried to say, but then the backs of his knees were met by a soft surface, and as Dean suddenly pressed up to him, the two of them fell onto the bed that had randomly appeared in the center of the parking lot. Cas and Dean simultaneously broke the kiss and stared in the direction of the rund-down warehouse off to the side, where the disheveled and obviously fresh-from-the-bed figures of Sam and Gabriel stood in the doorway.

"You're welcome!" Gabe shouted, a laugh in his voice. As Dean and Cas returned to stripping each other of their clothes, they just faintly heard the archangel yelling out, "Don't forget to use some protection!"

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><p>Sam walked back inside the warehouse with Gabriel. He ruffled the angel's sweaty chestnut hair as the two of them sat down at the rough pine table with Saziel, Hadriel, Alariel, and Circiel. "So, what the hell happened back there?"<p>

Saziel spoke up slowly; his deep voice rumbling with an undertone of fear, "I have never seen something like this before. Even Chuck said that Dean remained a mystery to him. The eldest, not chosen son of John and Mary Winchester, born to a hunter and an army veteran, brother to a chosen child." The old angel nodded respectfully to Sam. "I do not know how he managed to have wings such as that, or was able to attack Chuck with an angel blade. I wonder if Dean Winchester may have killed God himself."

"If he even was God," Circiel muttered darkly. All eyes turned to her. "I know God," she insisted, "and God is loving. He called humans his 'sad excuses for children' which I believe is not a loving comment. True, I sensed vestiges of God in the vessel called Chuck, but our Father was not inside Chuck Shurley at the time that Dean stabbed him."

"So why the explosion? Why the nuke?" Gabriel demanded. "Not even an archangel can blow up Heaven with his death. Trust me, I'd know." Sam rubbed Gabe's thigh reassuringly with his hand as the archangel made a reference to his death.

Circiel frowned. "I guess we should say that the being inside Chuck Shurley was more than an angel, but less than our God. Alariel, you know that."

All of the angels except for Sam gasped. "You mean-" Hadriel gasped.

"Are you saying that-" Saziel began, but Alariel broke in quietly.

"Circiel means to say that the hierarchy of Heaven has been disrupted. God's first children, the ones before even us, have returned from the deepest reaches of the Earth."

Sam's mind clicked as he recalled reading up on angels and angelic beings. This time he knew. "So you mean to say that-" he began, but Gabriel finished grimly.

"The seraphim have returned."

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><p><strong>Ta-da! What do you think? Reviews, please! Oh, and I am going into extensive research of this whole angel thing. It's painful, really. So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Oh, and YAY FOR CAS BEING BACK!<strong>


	14. Falling From Dizzying Heights

**Hi, guys! Long time no see...only not really. Happy belated Thanksgiving! So, about the story...I know that a lot of you are wondering what the heck seraphim are. Well, I've been on the Internet researching Biblical and other religious texts, and I've looked into the hierarchy of Heaven. Seraphim are highest on the lists, with angels and archangels on the bottom. You can see more about them in the story, and I put some info on my profile. Thanks to DionysusDaughter98 for giving me an idea for this chapter. Expect some serious Cas action! Oh, and expect a surprise. You might hate me for it, but just expect it nonetheless.**

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><p>"Seraphim? What the hell are those?" Dean exclaimed. He was sitting with Castiel, Gabriel, and Sam at the worn pine table. Sam stared at his hands, not responding. Dean knew that if Sam refused to talk about one of his nerd subjects, something was wrong. "Anybody? Seraphim?"<p>

Castiel, for once refusing to be affectionate, reassumed his 'I'm the angel of the Lord with the stick up his ass' tone. "Seraphim are the oldest children of God. They were created before the Earth, and before us, the angels. We are actually the lowest in rank in Heaven, with seraphim being the highest. Cherubim are just below seraphim, but they don't matter in this situation. They're our allies, as far as I know, or at least a few of them. It's the seraphim we need to worry about. A single one of the seraphim is called a seraph. They are some of the most powerful beings to walk Heaven or Earth. There are only a few that I know exist: Achaiah, Cahetel, Jeliel, Seruf, Barakiel, Vehuiah, Elemiah, Itael, and Chaylon. All are dangerous beings, born and made from fire. All can kill."

"Wait!" Dean interrupted, holding up his hand as he grinned at Cas. "There's a seraph called Seruf?"

"I've met him, you know," Gabriel commented from where he had his feet up on the table. "If you value your existence, don't bring that up with him."

"Point taken." Dean made a thoughtful face. "Cas, so the question is: Which one of those sons of bitches impersonated God and was killed by none other than yours truly?"

"I looked into that." Dean looked in surprise at Sam, who had spoken up for the first time. The shaggy-haired hunter slid his laptop forward across the table, and Dean quickly swiveled it to get a better look at the screen.

"Governs the first rays of the sun…creature of fire…seraph…? Care to explain?" Dean glanced up at his brother. "Who is it?"

"Ohhhh, you killed Vehuiah!" Gabriel popped a Jolly Rancher in his mouth, grinning widely around the candy. "If God were here, he'd be pissed."

"That explains why he impersonated God," Cas mused suddenly. "He is appointed to answer prayers. People and angels have been praying for God to return, so he did the next best thing by _being_ God." The black-haired, blue-eyed angel bit his lip quietly. "I liked him. He helped Gabriel raise me when I was a fledgling."

"Oh, I remember that!" Gabe laughed. "He was even more of a stuck-up son of a bitch than you were. I see where you got your personality. But yeah, he was loyal and had as good of a personality as a seraph could have. He was just doing his job by taking us. It's not his fault."

Dean looked at the two angels, who were now gazing wistfully off into the distance. He glanced at Sam. "Dude, something's eating you. Can you just tell me? Your thinking face is annoying the shit out of me."

Sam stood up abruptly, making the table rattle. He stalked around the table and grabbed Dean's arm, yanking him out of his chair. "Come on," he growled, pulling Dean along. The older hunter followed limply, used to these random outbursts from his brother.

Once they were alone in an isolated hallway of the sprawling warehouse, Dean jerked his arm out of Sam's grip and whirled to face his brother. "Okay, what the hell, Sam? You've been completely silent the entire time since we've gotten back from that little fiasco in Heaven. Tell me, man! I thought that we were brothers. So prove it!"

Sam stepped forward and craned his neck downwards so that he was standing nose-to-nose with Dean. "You want to know what's up?" he hissed. "What's up is that you made Heaven implode by going all psycho angel, we're dealing with fucking _seraphim_, and it's all going to Hell! You pissed off Heaven by stabbing one of the most ancient creatures in existence! You're more messed up than me and you're scaring me, okay? You're scaring me, Dean." Sam began to turn away, but then Dean called him back.

"Sammy...It's not like that!"

"Yeah?" Sam shouted, turning back around and shoving his brother backwards. "Then show me those wings of yours."

Dean sighed. "You're killing me, Sammy." But then he steadied his stance and let his wings crackle into existence. They were the color of Cas's, if not more dominated by the living black hues. The greens were more prominent than the blues, which was to be expected due to his and Cas's eye colors, respectively. But the most obvious thing was that they were massive, archangel-sized appendages that sprawled across the room. Dean glanced up from where he was observing his wings with mild interest and met Sam's eyes. His brother had also revealed his own wings, which were smoky black with fiery hues that shimmered and shone when catching the light. They were jagged, like an avenger's, but were still marginally smaller than Dean's. Dean frowned weakly at Sam. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't realize that they were like that. I didn't know that I was different or...more powerful..." he trailed off as Sam whirled and stalked off, furling his fiery wings back into his back.

"Save it," he snarled over his shoulder, leaving Dean to stand alone with massive swanlike wings hanging forlornly from his back.

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><p>Castiel sat with Gabriel at the old pine table. He traced his finger over the words and symbols that had been etched into the wood with knives, acid, or magic of some sort. Gabriel was already snoring beside him, his shaggy auburn hair tickling Cas's neck as the archangel's lolling head landed on his brother's shoulder. The incessant snoring, the fading sunlight, and the overwhelming peace in Cas's mind made him drowsy. It was a beautiful, warm day, and, comfortable in one of Dean's T-shirts and some jeans, Castiel, the rescued angel of the Lord, fell asleep.<p>

_A flash of lightning lights up the sky- or is that the backs of his eyelids? The lightning falls regardless of its location, striking him on the back. Searing pain, like his whole body is melting, explodes, running from the spot between his shoulders to a place not on his body. The crackling heat overwhelms him as he looks behind himself. Wings, broken and bloody and scorched and black, hang askew and smoking from his body. He looks down and sees silver light and brilliantly bright red liquid gushing from a spot that he hadn't noticed before._

_"Help," he whimpers, but nothing happens. He is alone. These wings of his cannot fly, and now he struggles against bonds that he swore hadn't been there a millisecond earlier. Trapped!_

_Wait! A flash of a face, just beyond eyeshot? He turns frantically, but not a soul to be seen._

_There it is again! And now he turns. There is a spirit, a being, a _thing_, and it stands there- or does it float?- and looks at him. It is light and fire and burns like the fresh sunrise. It is a familiar light, from when he was a fledgling. "Peace," it whispers. "All will be well. Do not give in, and God will provide. Do not submit, little brother, little Castiel." And then the being bends and whispers a secret, a song of horror and truth that makes Castiel gasp. He looks at the being and its light glows in what might have been a smile in the mortal world. And then, in a flash of light, it disappears._

_And he is alone._

_There is nobody there. Maybe there never was._

_Once again, the pain that has been held at bay returns, more insistent this time as it urges him to scream. He does, watching as an angel of fear slashes and cuts at his skin, his wings, his Grace. He yells and screams for his Father, hoping and praying that the world will end to stop this agony. It burns so badly, and he cannot breathe, and the being's secret, _Vehuiah's_ secret, burns into his ears, taunting him and mocking him. Don't tell the secret, no matter what they do to you. And he waits, screams, shrieks, and begs for mercy and for the end, but he does not submit, even as they carve a banishing symbol into his chest and have a human soul banish him from himself over and over, leaving only to be brought back again. _

_And he hopes that it will end, and it does, and he is placed in a cell. He lays down, whimpering as he stares at the ceiling. For a few moments, he feels like he will drift off to sleep. but then the stinging, burning pain shoots off again, making his whole body spasm with the agony and misery of it all. He pleads for mercy, but there is no answer. He screams to his Father, asking what he did to deserve this agony. But there is no response from the deity that disappeared so many millennia ago._

_And Castiel is alone, with only his pain for company._

_It shoots, it stings, it scorches with the fires of Hell and he screams-_

"DEAN!"

Cas found himself on the floor. He was covered in a cold sweat that permeated his vessel's skin, clothes, and trenchcoat. His eyes were closed, but he forced the lids open to escape the images that were playing in the darkness brought on by the nightmare-the _extremely_ realistic nightmare- that had seared itself into his mind. The first thing he saw was Dean, though technically it was his eye. His incredibly emerald, brimming-with-tears eye.

"I find this to be very similar to yesterday," Cas commented stoically from his position on the floor. Dean pressed his lips to Cas's in relief.

"Thank God you're alright," he breathed. "You went all 'post-Lucifer's cage memories' on me there. I thought you were going to pull a Sam. Technically, you did, though that doesn't matter, as long as you're alright. You are okay, right? What did you dream about?"

"Heaven. And what happened there. The torture-" he choked back a sob.

Dean kissed Cas's forehead, a habit he had picked up whenever his angel was in distress. He looked at his angel with tenderness and protectiveness. "Oh, God, Cas," he whispered. "But you're safe with me now. It's all okay now."

Cas closed his eyes briefly, squeezing them shut as his head and stomach throbbed at the same time. He bolted up on shaky limbs, flying himself to the bathroom. He bent over the toilet seat, throwing up the remains of his breakfast and lunch. Dean flew in shortly after, immediately crouching down and rubbing Cas's back.

"C'mon, Cas, just let it out. I know, it was bad. But the dreams won't hurt you. You're okay; you're safe with me and Sam and Gabe and the rest of the crew. Don't worry about anything; not the seraphim, not Heaven. Just relax and let it out," Dean babbled soothingly, his low, husky voice with its barely-there hint of a Southern drawl calming Castiel as he bent over the porcelain toilet seat. The throbbing pains in his stomach faded away after a few minutes of retching, but the sharp knives in his brain persisted.

"Heaven is Hell," he panted through the dry heaves. "Dean, it was terrible!" He crumpled off the safety of the toilet bowl and curled up on the floor, sobbing.

Dean lay down at his level, facing Cas and meeting his eyes. He kissed Cas's forehead tenderly, wiping sweaty strands of hair out of the angel's face. "It's okay, he murmured. "You're safe now, and they can't hurt you if you stay here. You're okay, Cas. It's all going to be okay."

Cas nodded and relaxed into Dean's arms. The hunter grabbed a towel from the bathroom floor and began to wipe Cas's mouth area down, clearing away all traces of sickness. Once the gentle cleaning was done, Cas leaned forward and pecked Dean on the lips. "Thank you," he murmured. "I'd kiss you more, but I think you would be happier doing that if I brushed my teeth first."

"Yeah, Cas," Dean chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

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><p>"You're kidding, right?"<p>

"It can happen!"

"But you're a _male_ archangel!"

"Yeah, but angels don't have genders!"

"Still, though, how the hell could this have happened?"

"Well, Sammy, when an archangel and a hunter love each other very much-"

"Really, Gabe? You're _really_ going to make a joke about this? Seriously, how?"

"Sam, we're bonded in a way that can't be described. The bond, mixed with the lack of a condom-"

"Hey, don't blame me for that!"

"Technically, I can. But still, Sammy, it happened. It can't be taken back. And you need to remember that you're a part of this relationship too, regardless of Sasquatch status. I just hope that the kid won't be a miniature Sasquatch. It could get a bit cramped in my vessel."

"Don't worry, Gabe. I'm not angry at you. I was just annoyed that, of all the possible times for this to happen, it happened now. How long will you be...you know?"

"Seeing as I'm an archangel in a male vessel, I have no idea. Human mothers last nine months, but I'm thinking that the whole angelic growth spurt might speed that along. That, coupled with both of our combined powers, will probably mean that it'll take even less time."

"So...two months?"

"I'm thinking two weeks, champ."

"Oh, God, Gabe. Two weeks?"

"Yep."

"Two weeks and I'll have a son or daughter...I love you, Gabe."

"Right back at you, Sasquatch."

"Oh, shit."

"What, Sam?"

"We gotta tell Dean."

"Oh, I hope you've said your prayers, Sammy. Because this is gonna be a whole bucket of trouble."

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><p><strong>Well? Reviews, please?<strong>


	15. The Plot Thickens

**You know, I kind of like this fluffy family thread as opposed to the whole angelic battle of the Heavens type thread. I think I may transform this fic into a somewhat fluffy, dysfunctional extended family fic. This story can't get any weirder, can it? No, I lied. It can get much weirder. This chapter is just a whole lot of fluff. If you're wondering how I'm updating so soon, I have a lot of free time right now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural. **

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><p>Dean sat contentedly with Castiel on the swing he had built for his angel on the big oak tree in the outskirts of the warehouse. He was half asleep, and Cas's lolling, messy-haired head was resting on his shoulder. Dean rested his own head on his angel's, and spread his wings contentedly. He wrapped them carefully around him and Cas, sighing as the sun broke through the clouds and warmed the September air. Castiel woke up suddenly, curling closer to Dean as he groaned from the obvious headachestomachache combination that always followed a nightmare.

"Bad dream?" Dean asked quietly, tightening his wings around the two of them.

"Yes," Cas whimpered. "It was about Timoriel this time. He was in the form of a six-year-old human child, Dean. It was terrible, how he laughed so cruelly and joyfully as he hurt me."

Dean sighed and kissed the top of his angel's head. "He can't hurt you now. He's dead. Sam killed him, remember?"

"I remember." Cas shifted uncomfortably. "It's just that every time I dream, I wake up feeling like I'm about to throw up. It's a disgusting human characteristic."

"Hey! Join the club, little bro!"

Dean and Cas looked up to see Gabriel and Sam standing next to the trunk of the oak tree. Sam's arm was wrapped protectively around Gabe's waist. "What do you want?" Dean grumbled, not meeting Sam's eyes. He was worried that Sam was still pissed from their confrontation yesterday.

Sam fidgeted, staring awkwardly at his shoes. "Um, you know, we were just hanging around after the whole Heaven incident-"

"Hanging?" Gabe snorted. "Sasquatch, I think you got your letters mixed up. I believe we were-"

"Anyways," Sam interrupted, "we obviously were quite busy, and, well…"

"You know how when you two were about to go at it like bunnies and I yelled to you to remember to use protection?" Gabe broke in, addressing Dean and Castiel.

"Yes, I remember," Cas answered. "I thought you were just joking, as you usually do."

"Yeah, about that," Dean interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Cas, I didn't want to worry you with this earlier, but when we got back together after that Heaven thing, I didn't really use protection of any sort…"

Gabriel's and Sam's mouths dropped open. "The plot thickens," Gabe commented. He turned to Cas. "I take it you were involved in some rigorous activities?"

"Yes." Cas ducked his head in embarrassment.

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair wearily. "Cas, I hate to be the bearer of bad/good news, but I believe that you may be expecting the pitter-patter of tiny angel feet in the not too distant future…and me too."

Dean looked blankly between Sam, Gabe, and Cas. "Son of a bitch…" He stared dumbly at Castiel. "Is it true?"

"Dean, I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you earlier because I was afraid that you might get angry!" Cas pleaded, grabbing onto Dean's jacket. "Please don't hate me!"

"I don't hate you, Cas! Don't ever think that I don't love you anymore. I'm just a little shocked." Dean glanced suddenly at Sam. "Sammy, you too? You and Gabe are having a kid?"

"If the extreme morning sickness I'm having is any indication of the amount of kids I'm having, then I'm guessing at least two kids. Your brother really knocked me up, Dean!" Gabe chuckled, patting his stomach affectionately. Sam shifted awkwardly.

"Oh, God, too much information from you, Gabe!" Dean groaned. He put his arms around Cas protectively, drawing his swanlike wings back into his body. "So what are we gonna do? I mean, Heaven is on our asses, and having two of our best guys out on maternity leave isn't going to end well."

"We're safe here," Gabe assured Dean and Cas. "I made sure that we had extra-strong protection from any evil dickweeds. So no worries."

"Actually, I have a small worry of my own," Sam spoke up nervously. "Does anybody know how to raise a kid?"

The four men looked in fear at each other. "Oh, shit," Dean said. "We're gonna have to go shopping."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Saziel drove the two couples into town in a large minivan. "I believe that I am rather like what you humans would call a 'soccer mom,' though I do not understand that reference," he rumbled. As he pulled up to Babies 'R' Us, he reached backwards and handed a list to Dean. "Circiel went on the Internet and found what supplies a newborn fledgling may need. It's a long list, though. Sorry. I'll wait for you out here, but be careful. Do you all have your blades?"<p>

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Dean saluted Saziel.

"I do not understand that saying," Saziel said confusedly.

"Ignore him," Sam advised, and then he and Dean hopped out of the van. They then reached back into the vehicle and helped their angels out. Apparently, an hour could do wonders to the size of an angelic child in the stomach of their father/mother. Already, Cas and Gabe were both growing small bulges under their shirts, though Cas's ever-present trench coat hid any signs of the growth, and Gabe had snapped up a loose black windbreaker to protect from the cool September wind and any curious glances. As they began to walk towards the entrance to the store, Dean stopped them suddenly.

"I just realized something," he said slowly.

"What?" Cas looked worried as he clung to Dean's arm.

"We're four guys going baby shopping. Don't you think that the general public will find that to be odd? I mean, Chicago might not be the most forgiving place."

Sam rolled his eyes. "If anyone asks, we're four best friends shopping for our wives and their soon-to-be-born children. That's not too far from the truth, right?"

"Not so fast, Samsquatch. You're the girl in this relationship," Gabe argued. After a good-natured nudge from Sam, the archangel grumbled, "Let's just go get the damn supplies, okay?"

The four of them walked cautiously through the automatic doors of the gigantic baby store, making sure not to appear like couples. A sales associate walked up to them, an extremely chipper smile plastered on her face. Her name tag said MY NAME IS VERONICA. HOW MAY I ASSIST YOUR EXPERIENCE? "Hello!" Veronica chirped. "How may I help you guys?

"Oh, um, we're just buying some stuff," Sam stammered. "We, uh..."

"We have a list!" Dean waved the piece of paper around wildly.

Veronica smiled indulgently. "Well, just holler if you need any help!" She turned on her heel and walked away to go help a couple that was standing confusedly in the diaper aisle.

Dean looked down at the list. "Okay, baby formula. It's over there in the food aisle, I think." He grabbed a cart from next to the doors and pulled Cas along. "Come on." Sam and Gabe trailed behind, looking around in wonder at the numerous things that apparently were must-haves for children. Gabe's eyes widened as they rested on the high shelves of formula in the food aisle. "What kind do we need?" Dean called over his shoulder as he tossed the list over his shoulder to Sam. The taller hunter glanced at the suggestions from Circiel.

"Um, I think that cinnamon and apple and peach are the best...I think so. Yeah, so get a whole bucketload, like ten little jars per flavor. I think that'll be enough for now, and we can get more later." Sam glanced up. "Dean, come on. I don't like being in here. It's too girly."

"I dunno," Gabriel commented from where he was snatching jars of apple baby food, "It's okay in here. It's not that bad." Then he realized he was using his hands and snappe his fingers. Tall columns of baby food appeared in the cart. "Got it."

"Next item?" Dean asked.

"Um, diapers."

Gabe looked up from where he was admiring the gleaming jars of formula. "Got it," he called, and then snapped up a new cart full of Pampers diapers. "God, how many of these things do babies go through per day?"

"I remember watching Dad change Sam's diapers as a kid. You'd be surprised how many of them he went through," Dean shouted. "What's next in this little adventure?"

"Comfort items and toys. Like, stuffed animals and rattles and stuff." Sam glanced up, looking at the other three men. "I guess we're going to have to hand pick those since they're more personalized items than diapers. So Gabe, no snapping." He chuckled as Gabriel stomped his foot in annoyance. "Let's go!"

Castiel wandered through the aisles with Dean, though he tried his best not to appear like he was _with_ Dean. As they strolled across the central aisle of the store, Dean suddenly asked, "Is it possible to know the gender of the kid? Like, a boy or a girl? That way, we can, you know, shop accordingly and maybe get some personal touches on some things."

Cas glanced down at his stomach, then turned to face Gabriel, who was pushing the diaper cart just behind them. "Gabriel, is it possible to know the gender or number of children we are carrying at this stage?"

Gabriel paused, stopping the cart to think. "I think so," he speculated. "We are the most powerful beings in this store. So why not?" He looked down at his stomach, pressing one of his hands to it tentatively. For a moment, Sam, Dean, and Cas stared at him. Then Gabe looked up. His eyes were slightly teary. Sam looked down at his boyfriend.

"Well?" he asked gently, causing Gabriel to smile widely.

"Two little girls, Sammy," he whispered. "Two little angel girls!"

"Oh my God!" Sam shouted, and then, completely disregarding the curious stares from other customers (thankfully there weren't that many; it was a Wednesday afternoon), he grabbed Gabriel in a massive hug, lifting the archangel off his feet. He paused for a moment, then gave Gabe a quick peck on the lips. "I love you," he whispered.

Meanwhile, Castiel had followed suit and inspected his own stomach, cocking his head to the side in that way that Dean had loved since the first time Cas had done it. Cas looked up, his eyes bright with happiness that usually didn't fill the angel's eyes. "I believe that the child I am carrying is male," he announced slowly.

"Well, what do you know, Cas?" Dean whispered back. "We're having a baby boy!" And then he gathered Cas up in a quick but loving kiss. "Love you," he murmured past the mess of black hair around his angel's ear.

Sam spoke up hoarsely. "I think we can start moving again now." He grabbed the diaper cart and started to push it, touching shoulders with Gabriel as the two of them propelled the cart together. Dean and Cas acted similarly, and slowed down so that the two couples could walk side by side. They meandered once more down the store, finally turning down the toys aisle. First, they drew level with the stuffed animals. All four men were startled by the amount of colors and creatures that awaited them. "So, now what?" Sam asked. "Do we just pick according to gender?"

"I believe so," Castiel responded. He reached out and grabbed a fluffy yellow elephant. "This. Our son will have this stuffed animal," he announced solemnly. Dean started to protest, but a single glare from Cas silenced him. "I said that our son will have this animal."

Gabe and Sam simultaneously snatched up animals. Sam held up a large pink dog, while Gabriel was triumphantly displaying a purple unicorn. "Oh, our kids are gonna be so tricked out!" Gabe exclaimed. Sam just grinned.

About two hours later, the four of them trudged wearily out of Babies 'R' Us, each pushing a cart laden with goodies. They met Saziel at the back of the parking lot. The old angel chuckled as he appraised the amount of purchases that they had. "How did you pay for all of this?" he inquired.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Please. Money? Trickster? All-powerful? Any of that ringing a bell for you?"

"Hmm. You are quite the smart aleck," Saziel commented as he helped Sam and Dean load the items into the back of the van as Cas hopped into the vehicle. Gabriel grumbled as he got in too, not even bothering to mention that he was the archangel and could smite Saziel's ass in a millisecond.

* * *

><p>They were back at the warehouse in about half an hour. Once more, there was the grand ceremony of unloading all of the purchases and bringing them to the old building that had become their home. Before they entered the building, however, Gabriel stopped them. "I read up on families on Earth. Apparently, they don't live in abandoned warehouses."<p>

"So?" Dean asked, struggling underneath the large shopping bags that were draped over his arms. "Can you hurry up, because these bags hurt like a bitch!"

"So...I decided to improve our living experiences a little bit." Gabriel snapped his fingers, and then two small houses appeared in an L-shape next to the warehouse. Both of them were two stories high, and an open-air roofed walkway connected the two sunrooms at the backs of each house. The one closer to the warehouse had Gabe and Sam's names written in Enochian above the front door, while the other had Dean and Cas's names done in the same fashion. "Ta-da!" Gabriel exclaimed. "It took a hell of a lot of work, but I pulled some strings and managed to have two houses built for us. Then, it was only the matter of me transporting them here."

"Gabe," Sam laughed, "you're amazing!"

"Yeah," Gabriel ducked his head. Then he snapped his fingers again and all of the groceries disappeared. "They're in the houses that they belong in," he explained. "Now we just have to wait two weeks, and then the houses will be complete! We'll have our own little families." With that, Gabe grabbed Sam's arm and pulled his boyfriend into their house. "Time for a tour!" he exclaimed.

The other couple just stood there for a second. "Did that just happen? Is this real, or am I dreaming?" Dean asked, dumbfounded.

"If it's a dream, then we're both sharing it," Cas countered.

"Touché," Dean muttered back.

Dean and Cas walked in wonder to the front door of their house. It had a door knocker in the shape of two golden wings. The two of them grasped the doorknob together and entered their house. They gasped at the same time as they took in the wonderful sight.

It was a small house, but it felt much larger than it looked, offering a cozy feel as opposed to being cramped. A staircase off to the left led to the upstairs. A family room sat to the right of the entryway, complete with a television, recliner, and two extremely comfortable-looking couches. The couple wandered into the kitchen, which was surprisingly large, with a double oven, diswasher, stove, microwave, and a large oak table. A half-bathroom, laundry room, and pantry were all down a small hallway next to the refrigerator. The sunroom off to the side had a wide view of the entire property, and had two doors. One led off to the deck at the back of the house, and the other led to the walkway they had seen from the outside. Cas smiled as he saw Gabriel waving cheekily from across the way.

"Come on," Dean exclaimed, and the two of them went back through the house and up the stairs. There were four doors. Dean opened the one to the far right of the stairs, and the two of them were met with a large bathroom. The next door over held a fully equipped nursery. All of Dean and Cas's purchases were in the baby-blue room. "Awesome," Dean murmured. Across from those two rooms was another room of the same size as the nursery. "Gabriel apparently expects us to have another few kids, huh?" Dean chuckled. Cas smiled and led Dean down the hallway next to the spare room. It led to another door, which Cas pushed open to reveal the master suite.

It was huge, with a massive king-sized bed and two walk-in closets. The master bathroom was gigantic as well, with a Jacuzzi tub as well as a shower. Dean and Castiel reentered their room, kicking off their shoes and clothes before clothing themselves in sweatpants and T-shirts. They jumped under the covers, sharing a kiss before Dean pressed his warm hands to Cas's stomach as the two of them cuddled together under the fluffy sheets.

"Welcome home, baby," he whispered. "Just you wait two weeks. Then the fun will begin. You can count on it."

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><p><strong>Aww, fluff! Tell me what you think, and I need suggestions. What should the names of the little angel kids be? Remember: Gabe and Sam have twin daughters, and Dean and Cas have a baby boy.<strong>


	16. Cotton Candy For The Soul

**Hello, guys! What's going on? Did we all enjoy Thanksgiving and the horrors of Black Friday? I sure did! Anyway, on to the story. So I dropped a couple serious bombshells in the last two chapters. Now the Winchester couples have two weeks to shop for their new kids. The thing is, they have to deal with pregnant angels too. So, humorous fluff, as you've seen. Enjoy and make sure to review about potential baby names!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

**Note: This is just a filler chapter. It is VERY short, but I assure you, chapter 17 will be longer.**

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><p>"Okay, it's been one week and six days. Why the hell can't this stupid baby come out already?" Gabriel whined.<p>

Sam sighed. "For the last time, Gabe, there are two babies." He was sitting on a large checkered blanket in the park with Gabriel, enjoying the last day of September since the weather was warm. They'd been sitting near the playground, talking and discreetly glancing at the children playing on the jungle gym. At first, Sam had argued with Gabriel about the location, as they might be viewed as total perverts, but Gabe had been adamant. So they'd packed up an arsenal of candy and other assorted dinner items; then had walked the short distance to the park. Now they were lazily leaning against a tree, with Gabriel's shaggy head resting in Sam's lap. Sam's back was against the large oak tree, and the archangel was lying perpendicular to the hunter, his hands on his large stomach.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Gabe muttered. "Pass me a cherry lollipop, will you?" After the red candy was unwrapped and securely in his grasp, the archangel continued lazily as Sam stroked his hair quietly. "Anyway, this is just a whole bunch of bullshit."

"What? Pregnancy?"

"Yep. I mean, just let the kid come out already! Why can't they grow in one day and then pop on out all fully developed and infant-like? Come on already! I'm sure the kid gets bored in here, right?" Gabriel stood up suddenly and annoyedly, brushing off his jeans. "I'm going to go get some cotton candy. Wait here." He stomped off without listening to Sam's protests.

The hunter rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mood swings," he muttered.

Gabriel sauntered down the trails of the park, ignoring the curious stares that he attracted by being a small man with an unusually large stomach. He hummed a nameless tune as he walked, arriving at the cotton candy stand. As he waited in line, a young woman with a baby stroller arrived behind him. In the back of his mind, Gabriel noticed the woman struggling with the straps holding her child in the stroller. He turned and quickly helped her, easily unbuckling the child.

"Thanks," the woman said in relief. "These strollers can be really confusing."

"Yeah, I know," Gabriel agreed. "I'm waiting on two baby girls back home, and my paranoid pregnant wife forced me to be able to do this in my sleep." He quickly spun up the lie, though it wasn't really a lie since he was the one who'd forced Sam to learn how to do the stroller buckles in his sleep.

The woman smiled. "Yeah, but I thought archangels didn't need to sleep." Gabriel's eyes went wide as the woman's own gaze turned black. "Hello, Gabriel. How's Sammy?" she sneered.

_Nononononononononononono! This can't be happening! _Gabriel backed up, walking away from the safety of the cotton candy line and into the thick trees. The demon followed, her wide smile turning into a leer of gleeful hatred. Gabe wrapped both arms around his stomach, protecting the two baby angel girls in him. "Stay back!" he ordered, but his true voice was weak with nerves and fear. _Why the hell am I so nervous? I'm a fucking big daddy archangel, for crying out loud!_

"Sorry, Gabe dearest," the demon crooned, "but when the little bitches are still in you, you're pretty much powerless. So how about you come with me and give me the children once you give birth? I do have...a familial relationship to them."

"Don't you dare talk about my children like they're even _vaguely_ related to you!" Gabriel screamed. "You demon bitch!"

"Awww, have you forgotten who else the children belong to? Sammy has some extra enhancements from my side of the family, so obviously your little bitch girls do too." The demon laughed. "Im an old family friend, anyways. Sammy and I go way back, before even Ruby!"

"Meg," Gabe gasped. He remembered watching over Sam as the hunter had been possessed, as well as all the other times that Sam had encountered the demon.

Meg grinned. "Hi," she cooed. "Now come here and surrender yourself, or I'll make you. Don't test me, big boy, or I'll break out the big guns."

"You can't have me," Gabe shot back. "You forgot the most crucial thing about your mission."

"And what's that?" Meg chuckled.

Gabriel smirked. "_Never_ piss off a pregnant archangel's boyfriend."

"What-" Meg began, but her question was cut short as an angel sword penetrated he upper body, entering between he shoulder blades and sticking out right at her sternum. Orange-yellow lightning flashed inside Meg's body as the demon gasped and gurgled for a moment before dropping to the ground.

"Damn bitch. Finally got you," Sam snarled as he pulled his holy blade from the demon's lifeless body. "It's been years, but I got you." Then he turned to Gabriel. "Holy shit, are you all right? I went to check on you and you were gone and we never should've come to the park and-" Sam stopped as Gabriel grabbed both sides of his face and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Thanks for saving me, my Sasquatch in shining armor," Gabe chuckled. He wrapped his arms around Sam in a big, thankful hug before pulling away. He blinked owlishly up at the tall hunter. "Can I get that cotton candy now?"

Sam grinned. "I can't say no to you, can I?"

"Nope."

Sam wrapped his arm around Gabriel's waist and the two of them walked to the cotton candy stand again. The couple ignored the disgusted stares from obviously homophobic onlookers as Sam bought his boyfriend an extra-large cotton candy. They walked away slowly, making their way back to the warehouse/house complex that had become their permanent home. By the time they passed the wards that protected the property, it was nighttime As they stepped over to the front door of their two-story home, Dean poked his head out of the front door of his and Cas's house, his dark blond hair lit up by the light in front of the house.

"Hey, Sammy?" he called nervously.

"What?"

"Um, what do you do when your angelic boyfriend goes into labor?"

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><p><strong>Well? What do we think? I can't wait until the next chapter! Remember: NAMES! Review, pretty please!<strong>


	17. And The Angels Sang Hallelujah

**Hello, guys! Ha, I left you at a cliffhanger, but I couldn't bear to withhold the chapter for more than a few hours. Thanks for all of the name ideas! Thank you for the suggestions, and I integrated a little bit of them into the names, but I had a lot of down time between looking at reviews, so I pretty much got the names already. I hope you like them! I made them pretty Biblical, and I was scouring the Internet for all of these awesome names. Especially Dean and Cas's son. Him I like. I think you'll like him too. And sorry if you don't like how I made the angels give birth. There's not much to go on with a male giving birth, you know? So onward, my friends!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>"Oh, um, Gabe, go inside!" As Gabriel meandered inside his and Sam's house, Sam flew off their porch and onto Dean's. "Where is he?"<p>

"Inside!" Dean cried, and they rushed into the house, where Dean directed them to the kitchen. Castiel was curled up on the floor; his arms were wrapped tightly and protectively around his stomach and his bright blue eyes were dull and wide with pain. Sam and Dean crouched at his side, frantically and instinctively checking the angel's vital signs. At least he was alive. "What the fuck do we do?" Dean yelled. "He's in agony here! Sam, what do we _do_?"

"How would I know?" Sam got up and turned away. "Saziel and Circiel! Get over here now! Cas is going into labor with an angel child and we don't know what the hell to do!"

The two angels flew in immediately. Circiel rushed to Cas's side and placed two fingers on his forehead. "Meet me upstairs in your bedroom," she ordered Dean, and then the three of them disappeared, leaving Saziel and Sam alone in Dean's kitchen. Saziel frowned.

"Gabriel...I believe he may be in labor as well," the old angel mused.

"What?" Sam shouted, and then he grabbed Saziel's arm and flew them to his and Gabe's home.

* * *

><p><em>Pain. Painpainpainpainpainpain. PAIN. Dean, help me! It hurts! It hurts like all those times in battles and Hell and torture all mixed into one, times about infinity. Is it supposed to hurt this badly, bringing new life to this Earth? It burns through my stomach, my body, threatening to burst through my vessel! Oh, Father, help me. Dean, help!<em>

Cas was in a haze of pure agony as he felt himself being flown to his and Dean's large bedroom. As soon as he'd been deposited on the bed, Dean was immediately grasping his hand, bringing Castiel out of the haze briefly. "Come on, Cas," Dean kept whispering frantically in his angel's ear. "Don't give up on me now!"

"I-I'm okay, Dean. Don't worry about m-me," Cas managed to slur. "Just...the baby."

Dean kissed Cas's forehead. "Don't worry, Cas," he murmured. "I'm here. The baby and me- we're not going anywhere. And neither are you."

"I know, Dean. Love you."

"I love you too, Cas. Just hang in there."

* * *

><p>Dean wrung his hands as Circiel got to work. The angel flitted back and forth, bringing in blankets and clothing. Finally, she settled down and pressed her fingers to Castiel's forehead again, screwing her eyes shut in concentration.<p>

"Well?" Dean demanded. "What's going on?"

"Any moment now," Circiel stated calmly. "Now just shut up and wait. Stop being a dick to me and just _wait_."

Dean crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall of the bedroom, gazing down at Cas. The angel's blue eyes were closed, and the pained wrinkles on his face had smoothed out. His breathing was steady. It seemed that the angel was sleeping, but then Cas suddenly arched his back and a blinding light filled the room, forcing even Circiel to screw her eyes shut. And then the most wonderful sound filled the air as the white light faded, filling Dean's heart.

A child was crying.

The next few moments were a blur as Circiel scooped up a small bundle and brought it over to Dean's dresser, which she'd transformed into a changing station. Dean craned his neck, trying to get a glimpse past the angel, but Circiel turned and glared at him for a moment. Dean withdrew, and soon Circiel placed a tiny, blanket-wrapped bundle in Castiel's arms. The female angel winked at the two parents and then disappeared in a flutter of wings. Dean looked down at Cas, sucking in his breath at the almost holy scene.

Cas, the rebel angel of God, was holding a child. An honest to God, non-demon infant. And it was Dean's. No. _He_ was Dean's. Dean and Castiel Winchester had a son. Cas smiled tiredly up at Dean, his skin practically glowing with angelic radiance. "It was relatively easier than I thought it would be," he commented hoarsely. "It hurt at first, but then it got better."

Dean leaned over the side of the bed and kissed Cas's sweaty forehead. Carefully, he stepped onto the mattress, settling in beside Cas and their son. The infant already had a shock of black hair and, as the little child opened his eyes, Dean could see that his son had pale cerulean eyes like Castiel's. "Cas," Dean laughed softly, "he's a mini-you!"

"A miniature me," Cas repeated in barely disguised awe, reaching out and stroking his son's hair. He looked up "You should name him, Dean."

The hunter drew in a breath ragged with joyful tears. "You're serious?" he asked.

"Yes." Cas nodded eagerly.

Dean smirked good-naturedly. "Only if you pick the middle name," he argued cheerfully.

Cas groaned wearily. "Obviously, there's no changing your mind on that."

"Nope." Dean snuggled up closer to Cas and their baby boy. He carefully lifted the infant from Cas's arms with the utmost care. "Joshua," he whispered. "Joshua, my baby boy." He looked over at his boyfriend. "Do you like it? What about the middle name?"

Castiel stared intensely at his son for a moment before placing a finger to the infant's lips. "Exodus. His name is Joshua Exodus Winchester."

"Joshua!" Dean laughed. "Cas, we have a son named Joshua!" He kissed his son's tiny fingertips for a moment before pecking Castiel on the lips and handing Joshua back to the angel. "Hang on a second," he muttered quickly as he rushed out of the room. Dean returned holding a large box with holes in it. "I think that if we want to be a modern family, we might as well complete the perfect picture." In answer to Cas's questioning look, Dean opened the top of the box. Two little heads popped out immediately, their bright pink tongues darting out as they caught sight of the family.

"Dean, what are they?" Castiel's eyes were wide with wonder and suspicion as he hugged Joshua closer to himself protectively.

"They're dogs, Cas," Dean chuckled. He lifted two Siberian Husky puppies out of the box. They were tiny, fluffy, and had piercing blue eyes like Dean's boyfriend and son. "They're not going to hurt you. They're from a breeder that only breeds extremely docile animals. Sammy and I went out to town yesterday, and we, you know, couldn't help ourselves. Do you like them?" Dean asked tentatively.

"Yes, Dean. I like them quite a bit, and I think our son will too. Can I name one?" When Dean nodded encouragingly, Cas pointed to the larger puppy. "That is Prophet."

Dean smiled. "Prophet Winchester and his little brother…Metallica." He fondled the smaller dog's ears. "The new and improved Winchesters, Cas! Dean, Castiel, Joshua, Prophet, and Metallica Winchester! That's us!" Dean paused to kiss Castiel hard on the lips. Then he glanced in the direction of Sam and Gabriel's house. "Sam, Gabe!" he yelled, knowing that the couple would hear him even if he whispered. "Get your pregnant asses over here and meet the family!"  
>"I'm not pregnant anymore!"<p>

The other couple appeared with a telltale snap, though they weren't alone this time. An obviously exhausted Gabriel was holding a golden-haired, white nightgown-clad baby girl in each arm, and an obviously annoyed Sam was carrying a golden retriever puppy. "Bad timing, Dean," Sam growled.

"We were just getting to know them, and you called us over!" Gabe whined, hefting the infants up in his arms. He nodded towards Dean and Castiel's little family. "Care to introduce us?"

Dean held up the two dogs. "This is Prophet, and this is Metallica."

"I wonder who named which one," Sam snorted.

Castiel carefully shifted into a sitting position against the headboard of the bed, delicately holding his newborn son in his arms. "This is our son, Joshua Exodus Winchester," he announced in his 'I'm an important celestial messenger of God' voice.

Sam and Gabriel smiled gently at their newborn nephew. Then, Gabriel gestured to the baby girl in his right arm. "She has my eyes, so I got to name her. This is Damaris Grace Winchester."

"Damaris. That is an impressive Biblical name," Cas approved.

"And since she has my eyes, I got to name this little angel girl," Sam crooned, kissing the other girl's forehead. "This is Jessica Faith Winchester, my golden-haired, hazel-eyed beauty."

Dean smiled at his brother as he noticed the use of Sam's girlfriend's name. "Beautiful names for even more beautiful girls," he praised awkwardly, not used to such affectionate moments, not since his time with Lisa. "Um, what about the dog?"

"Oh, this is Loki, my troublemaking son of a bitch, quite literally." Gabriel chuckled. He looked around awkwardly before nodding slowly. "So…nice to meet y'all, and Sammy and I are gonna get back to the homestead now. Bye." With that, the archangel, Sam, and their daughters and dog disappeared in a snap, leaving Dean and Cas on the bed.

Castiel leaned his head back with a sigh of contentment, closing his eyes briefly. "I think we need to put him to bed," he said slowly and uncertainly.

"Yeah." Dean got up with a groan of annoyance, chuckling as Prophet and Metallica hopped off the bed as well, their stubby tails waving wildly as they trotted around their master. He helped Cas off of the mattress, making sure to hold Joshua as the weary angel stood up. "Come on," Dean murmured, and the two of them trudged tiredly out of their bedroom, the two puppies staggering clumsily behind them. As they entered the nursery, Joshua yawned and sneezed, surprising his parents as shiny, downy sky-blue and emerald wings popped out from his back.

"I completely forgot that his genes are mostly angelic," Castiel said bemusedly, absently tracing his fingers over his son's new wings. "He has our eyes in his wings," he chuckled.

Dean kissed his son's nose gently and placed him in the heavily padded, heavily warded baby crib. He and Cas both reached in and tucked extra blankets around their son, being careful to fold his miniscule wings inward so that they didn't get crushed. But as soon as he was settled, Joshua turned over on his stomach and let his wings pop out again, and they draped across the crib like shiny blankets. "So I see he likes to let it all hang loose," Dean joked.

"I don't understand what you mean," Castiel replied monotonously as he adjusted the blankets multiple times.

As Joshua slowly drifted off to sleep, Dean reached under the crib and grabbed two things. One was a large doggy bed, which he placed next to the crib. The other was the large, fluffy yellow elephant that Cas had picked out for Joshua. "Here ya go," Dean exclaimed, handing the animal to his boyfriend. "You get to do the honors."

"Thank you," Castiel whispered. Then he gently placed the plush elephant next to his son, smiling as the infant instinctively snuggled closer to its warmth. Then he bent down and placed Metallica into the doggy bed. Prophet followed just behind, hopping onto the warm softness and snuggling in a ball with his little brother. "The perfect watchdogs," Cas commented. "Like the opposite of hellhounds."

"Angel hounds?" Dean laughed softly.

Cas nodded. "Angel hounds. Angelic dogs for our angelic son." He bent over the crib and suddenly began to softly sing in Enochian. Dean cocked his head and listened, transfixed by the otherwordly sounds coming from his angel. Soon, the dogs and Joshua were fast asleep, and the room felt warmer and cozier. "Good night, my little angel prince," Castiel whispered, then he kissed Joshua's soft forehead. He then rose and leaned into Dean. "Let's go," he murmured.

Dean escorted Cas out of the nursery, turning back for a moment as he turned off the light. His son was sound asleep in the crib, watched over by the two puppies. It seemed almost like a modern Nativity scene. "Good night," he murmured, and then he turned off the light in the nursery. He and Cas staggered into their own bed, instinctively seeking each other's bodies. They barely had time to share a kiss before the angel and human fell asleep.

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><p>As Dean and Castiel were putting their son to bed, Sam and Gabriel were doing likewise. Gabe, on entry to the nursery, placed his hands on each crib and engraved the first and middle names of each of their daughters in Enochian. Then he gestured to Sam. "Give me Damaris." When Sam handed over the tiny, nightgown-clad infant, Gabriel gave her a big kiss on the forehead and placed her in the crib. As the little girl shivered, she let her wings show. They were tiny and bronzen with the occasional pure white streak. "Angel girl," Gabe whispered affectionately.<p>

Sam carefully deposited Jessica into her own crib. The baby girl yawned the cutest yawn and popped out her own wings. They were pure white with random patches of gold. "Cute little Heaven baby," Sam murmured into her crib. He looked back. "The stuffed animals, Gabe. They need their animals."

"Damn, I almost forgot!" Gabriel muttered exasperatedly, reaching into the large toy bin and revealing the animals. For a moment, he looked back and forth between the two plush creatures, then he looked up with a pained expression. "Which one do we give to each? Because I don't know who'll like the pink dog or who'll want the purple unicorn! This is a disaster, Sammy!"

"You're such a girl!" Sam laughed. "Here." He grabbed the unicorn and gave it to Damaris. Then he gave the dog to Jessica. "I have a feeling they'll be fine with that. The animals match their names."

Gabe smiled thankfully. "What would I do without your chick-flick girliness?"

"You'd waste away into nothing," Sam chuckled as he revealed a doggy bed. Loki, already clever and obviously destined to become mischievous, ran around the perimeter of the bed before leaping into it. He circled it about ten times and then finally plopped himself down in the center of the cushion with a yawn.

"Idiot dog," Gabe muttered.

The two of them blew kisses to their daughters before shutting off the light and carefully closing the door. They wandered down the hallway and entered their bedroom. Gabriel made a giant leap onto the bed before turning and raising a single eyebrow at Sam. "I'm not fat and pregnant anymore," he said. "Are you willing to officially christen this day with celebratory sex?"

"No," Sam groaned. "I'm tired." He hopped into the bed, glancing at the date on the calendar at their window before shutting off the bedside lamp. "September 30, Gabe," he murmured. "Our daughters were born on September 30."

"Awesome," Gabe muttered before cuddling up to Sam. A few minutes passed before he spoke up again. "Can we have sex _now_?"

"Go to sleep, Gabriel."

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><p><strong>Yay for newborn angel babies! Remember: September 30 is the birthday of Joshua Exodus Winchester, Jessica Faith Winchester, and Damaris Grace Winchester. The dogs, Metallica, Prophet, and Loki, were adopted on September 29. So, that's the Winchester clan. Comments? Reviews? Stuffed purple unicorns?<strong>


	18. That Final Bullet In Your Heart

**Hi again. I was really sad when I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter. And that was the one we've been waiting for! Come on now! Well, here's the next one anyways. Please enjoy it and once again be prepared for a surprise. Haha, this is karma for not giving me any reviews! Take that!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>"Would you like for them to be baptized?" Saziel asked. "If you do, then I would gladly oblige and christen your children."<p>

Dean jiggled his leg nervously, disturbing the two puppies in his lap. He, Castiel, Gabriel, Dean, their children, their dogs, and the other angels were sitting around the oak table in Sam and Gabe's cozy kitchen. Dean was holding Prophet and Metallica, and Cas was leaning his head against his boyfriend's shoulder as he cradled Joshua. Sam was holding Damaris, and Gabe was bouncing baby Jessica on his knee. Loki, the already growing golden retriever, had his fluffy head resting on Dean's foot. "I don't know," Dean finally replied. "I know it's almost been three months, but I just don't know."

"I believe it would be good for Joshua to have the blessing of God," Cas piped up from his spot next to Dean.

Gabe raised an eyebrow with barely disguised amusement. "I hate to break it to you, little bro, but you've already as good as baptized your kid already. I mean, every night you give him a bath in holy water while singing to him in Enochian!"

Cas looked offended. "The holy water is merely a bonus. He is just being blessed by his fathers every night. What is so wrong about that?"

"You bathe Josh in holy water?" Dean asked in disbelief. "You never told me that. You seriously do that, though?"

"Well, yes. I've replaced every water dispenser in the house with holy water instead of tap water. The dogs have been washed in holy water too, you know."

Sam chuckled. "Oh, this is rich. Better than cable, I swear." But then an idea struck him and he glanced suddenly at Gabriel. "Wait. Are we getting the girls baptized?"

"Do you want us to?" The archangel's amber eyes were questioning.

"Not really." Sam shrugged. "They're blessed enough, seeing as they're mostly angels with only a little bit of human genes. I think they're fine. Already, they're showing pretty obvious signs of power."

"Yeah," Gabriel agreed as he handed Jess to Sam and stood up. "They're pretty powerful," he commented as he reached into the pantry cabinet and pulled out a bag of dog food and three bowls. He poured out a generous amount and whistled. As Prophet, Metallica, and Loki came running, the archangel glanced up from his crouched position next to the bowls. "They have to be powerful in order to be able to protect themselves from the inevitable attack from the seraphim. I mean, we pissed them off when Dean ganked Vehuiah, so we're pretty much royally screwed over. Seriously, we have to start honing their powers. And anyways, baptizing them might put them on Heaven's radar, so we'd better not risk it."

"That's true," Hadriel piped up. "First, we have to determine their powers in general. Joshua will probably just have angelic powers, while Jessica and Damaris may have a mix of angelic and demonic abilities, given Sam's blood. Then we can undergo the proper rituals for protection and hone the powers."

Dean groaned. "I hate being an abnormal parent," he groaned. Cas slapped him on the arm in annoyance.

"Don't regret being the father of an angel's child. I could smite you, you know. I'm not above that," Cas snapped.

"Yeah, but you'd always bring me back." Dean smirked. When Cas sighed his defeat, the hunter turned to Saziel, Circiel, Hadriel, and Alariel. "Can you guys go? This is kind of a family moment here."

The angels nodded and disappeared in a collective crescendo of fluttering wings.

Gabriel stood from where he'd been scratching Metallica behind the ears. "Okey dokey then," he exclaimed. "So how the hell do we go about seeing what our kids can do?"

"To tell you the truth," Sam replied, "I have absolutely no idea."

Castiel placed Joshua on his back on the table, making sure that the infant's back was padded with a fluffy blanket. "I've noticed that our son shows flashes of his abilities when he is experiencing strong emotions. In fact, that's how all angels learn to use their powers. So maybe if we make our children experience very strong emotions, then maybe we can tempt their abilities out into the open," he suggested.

"We already know that since they all have wings, then they can probably fly," Dean commented. "But as for what else they can do…I have no idea."

Gabriel picked up Damaris from Sam's arms, twirling the girl through the air. "What can you do?" he asked, as if the baby would respond. "What can my little golden girl do?"

Damaris blinked her wide amber eyes. Then she started to giggle as her father twirled her higher and higher in the air. Sam's eyes tracked his daughter on her circular flight path around her other father. For a second, everybody held their breath as Damaris's wide smile grew to amazing proportions, but all the baby did in response to the attention was giggle some more. Gabriel lowered his daughter and cradled her in his arms.

"I guess we'll have to wait," he observed. "Maybe for a couple years, more even."

Cas sighed and played with Joshua's toes for a moment. "I guess," he agreed with his older brother. He got up and walked around the kitchen. The angel turned to Gabe. "Are you and Sam making dinner tonight?"

Sam groaned out loud before glancing at Gabriel. "Snap up their high chairs, will you?" After the archangel snapped the babies' seats into existence, his boyfriend deposited Jess in her chair and strolled over to the refrigerator, pulling it open. After appraising the contents for a moment, the hunter leaned back and called over to his family, "Do you guys want macaroni and cheese or lasagna?"

"Macaroni!" the three men chorused in unison.

"At least there's no argument tonight," Sam smirked.

Dean looked up indignantly. "Hey! I wanted that last burger patty! It's not my fault Gabe tried to steal it from me!"

"You gave him a black eye!" Sam retorted as he grabbed the cheese from the refrigerator and put some water on to boil. With a quick flexing of his powers, the hunter boiled the water within seconds and threw the pasta into the bubbling liquid.

Gabriel rubbed his face wearily as Damaris began to wail in reaction to the rising temperature in the kitchen. He snapped his fingers to conjure up his daughter's bottle full of milk. As he fed the infant, Sam looked back at his boyfriend and smiled at the scene that faced him. Then he checked the pasta, poured it into a colander in the sink, and then poured it back into the pot. He sliced up the cheese and dropped it into the steaming pasta stirring the mixture until the cheese melted. Then he brought the pot to the table, set out forks and plates, and then sat down next to Jess's high chair.

"Bon appetit," Dean proclaimed before digging the serving spoon into the macaroni and cheese. He dolloped about six portions into his plate and dug into the cheesy food with a vengeance. Sam, Gabe, and Cas all ate at a more controlled pace, giving Jess, Damaris, and Josh their bottles. Dean looked up after a few minutes of silent eating, a full portion of bright golden food balanced on his glistening metal fork. "Is there any bacon for this?"

"No." Sam looked annoyed.

"Why?" Dean whined. "I want bacon. Or pie. Either one works."

Gabriel glared at Dean. "Suck it up, big daddy," he snapped.

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><p>Later on, Saziel popped in to bid them good night, though it was only 8:00. He pressed his fingers to each of the babies' foreheads and murmured, "Sweet children." Then he nodded to the two couples on Gabe and Sam's couch and disappeared with the telltale sound of wings.<p>

"Come on," Dean grunted as he got up from the couch. "Let's get the little soldier to bed." He nudged Castiel with one arm. "Come on, Cas! Let's go home and put Josh to bed."

The angel blearily opened his eyes from his position on the couch, Joshua still cradled in his arms. "Wh-what?" he slurred, still half-asleep from his nap that had started in the middle of the classic movie that they'd been watching. When Dean nudged him again, the angel got up with a sleepy groan. "Okay," he snapped, "I'm up. How was the movie?"

"I'm not telling you," Dean teased.

"Bye," Sam mumbled before turning his head back to face

and then he kissed his two nieces on the forehead and strode into the kitchen with Cas. He whistled to their two dogs, and the Huskies came running, their already growing tails wagging like crazy. Then the family walked out of the sunroom of their family's house and went across the adjoining walkway to their own home. The Winchesters trudged up the stairs and entered the all-too-familiar nursery. "In you go," Dean grunted as he picked Joshua out of Cas's arms and placed the baby into his crib. Without a word, Castiel immediately deposited the large stuffed elephant with his son. Dean chuckled. "Second nature," he commented.

"Yeah," Cas smiled, for once using human slang instead of his usual stiff 'Yes'. He turned off the light in Joshua's room and led Dean downstairs to their own couch. He gently removed the dogs from the piece of furniture and settled himself and Dean down, turning on the TV with a quick flick of angelic power. The familiar sounds of overdone television drama filled the small family room, and Prophet and Metallica hopped back up on the couch and snuggled with their owners. The lovers fell asleep peacefully in each other's arms.

But then the shouting began.

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><p>Sam ran out of his and Gabriel's room, pulling his sweatpants on as he went. He found his boyfriend in the nursery, staring into Damaris's crib. The golden-haired archangel was panting in wild panic, and he turned frantically to Sam, grabbing his boyfriend's shirt with shaking hands.<p>

"Sammy," he whispered.

"What's going on?" Cas and Dean appeared in the nursery. "What's wrong?" Dean demanded gruffly. "You're waking up the whole neighborhood."

Gabriel turned on his brother and the other hunter. "Gabriel, what's wrong?" Castiel asked worriedly.

"It's Damaris," Gabe whispered. "She's gone."

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><p><strong>Oh, snap! How do you like them apples? Reviews, please!<strong>


	19. From The Ashes, A New Flame Burns

**Hi, guys! Thanks for all the reviews! I was so happy to see that you like the chapter! Wow, almost chapter 20 already. To think that just a few chapters ago, Gabriel was brainwashed and Cas was imprisoned. Ah, the golden days of the story. Well, here's the now sad story of how a family goes on without their daughter. Voila.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

**Note: Any places or locations in the city of Chicago are made up off the top of my head. They are not real locations in Chicago, as far as I know. They're just names.**

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><p>"What do you mean, she's gone?" Dean yelled.<p>

Gabriel's amber eyes looked hunted, like a pet that had been kicked into a corner too many times. "I mean," he whimpered, "that I came upstairs with Sam and I came in here to check on the girls and Damaris was gone! That's what I mean!" He was shouting at full archangelic power now; his true voice shook the house.

Sam swept Jess out of her own crib, cradling his remaining daughter to his chest. "What do we do?" he demanded, putting his other arm around Gabriel in a protective stance.

"We have to figure out who did this and find them quickly!" Castiel exclaimed. Then his blue eyes burned with a sudden panic. "Joshua. Dean, Joshua is all alone in the house We left him there!" he shouted frantically, and Dean's face went white.

"Oh shit!" he yelled, and then he grabbed Cas and flew them away.

As soon as his brother and trench coat-clad angel were gone, Sam sank to his knees, holding Jessica in a tight embrace as he leaned against Damaris's empty crib. "What do we do, Gabe?" he sobbed. "Everything's going wrong, even here! What are we supposed to do now?"

Gabriel, his bottom lip trembling as he picked up the trampled form of Damaris's purple unicorn, crumpled to the ground as well, pressing his face into Sam's strong shoulder. "I don't know, Sammy," he whispered past the fabric on Sam's arm. "I just don't know anymore."

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><p><strong>Five Years Later<strong>

Jessica Winchester squirmed in her seat as her dad carefully slipped bows into her hair. "Hurry up!" she whined, wanting to be able to show Uncle Dean how her shoulder-length golden curls looked. "Ow!" she petulantly reminded Dad as one of her hairs was pulled too far.

"Sorry, baby girl," Gabriel chuckled, finishing the final bow with a flourish. He lifted his daughter up in the air, holding her against his hip with one arm. Jess immediately wrapped her legs around her dad and buried her face in his shoulder. "Sam!" Gabe called, "she's ready!"

"Coming!" came an amused voice from the other room, and then Jess's daddy stepped into the room. He was holding a golden-haired baby boy in his arms, and a brown-haired four-year-old trotted along behind, clutching her father's pant leg.

"Daddy!" Jess squealed, jumping out of Gabriel's arms and rushing to her other father. She hugged his other leg and then began to jump up and down excitedly. "Look at my dress, Daddy! Remember when Cousin Circiel bought it for me? Do you like it, Daddy? I like it!" she exclaimed.

Sam smiled down at his daughter. "Very nice, angel," he chuckled. "Come into the kitchen and finish your cereal before Uncle Dean, Uncle Cas, Josh, and Emily come over."

Jess sighed in a very Gabriel-like manner, already becoming the stubborn little child that Gabriel was at heart. "Yes, Daddy," she grumbled, trudging into the kitchen and hopping into her seat.

Sam and Gabriel trailed behind their belligerent daughter; Gabriel scooped up the toddler on the ground. Madison Lenore was an exact replica of Sam, with chestnut-brown, shiny-straight hair. She had her taller father's personality, too. The baby in Sam's arms was Elijah Luke, another golden-headed Winchester. He was seven months old. As the Winchesters settled down to eat breakfast on Jess's first day of kindergarten, there was a tormenting thought that ran through Sam and Gabriel's heads. It was a single word, the one word that they couldn't bear to hear, especially that day.

_Damaris._

"Hello? Anybody home?" Dean poked his head in from the sunroom. "Are we allowed inside?" he chuckled gruffly.

"Uncle Dean!" Madison and Jess squealed, running to their dark blond-haired uncle. The hunter, as well as Sam, had not aged at all due to his angelic powers, and he was still as handsome and fit as he'd been five years ago, when he'd become a partial angel. Dean reached down with one hand and affectionately ruffled Madison's sleek brown hair. His other arm was occupied with Joshua, who had his arms crossed in a similar way to his badass hunter father.

"Where's Cas?" Sam asked.

Dean looked backwards in the direction of his and Cas's house. "Oh, he's just cleaning up Emily. She spilled food all over herself." Emily Hope was Dean's two-year-old daughter. "They'll be here in a second."

"I'm here now." Everybody in the room turned to see Castiel holding a black-haired toddler in his arms in the middle of the kitchen.

Madison ran and hugged the angel, her favorite uncle by far. "Hi, Uncle Cas," she giggled, wrapping her small arms around Cas's leg.

"Hello, Madison," Cas smiled. He glanced up at his family, then at his watch. "I think it's time to go now."

"Yeah, it is." Sam and Gabriel stood and collected their children. "Come on," Sam announced as he wiped Jess's face and led his husband, children, brother, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew out the sunroom door. Their two cars were waiting in the parking lot of the warehouse. The other angels were nowhere to be seen; Saziel had told them five days ago that they were investigating a possible lead on Damaris's disappearance and had flown away.

Dean led his family to the Impala, buckling their kids into carseats in the back of the old car. Sam and Gabriel had a newer car; it was a large, sleek black SUV. They fastened their own children into their seats and hopped into the front. Sam was driving, and he turned on the ignition, smiling when the engine roared to life. The two black cars pulled out of the parking lot, exiting the wards that protected their houses from attack.

The Impala purred through the suburbs of Chicago, arriving in the busy parking lot of Independence Elementary School. Sam's SUV was just behind, pulling into a parking spot next to his brother. Sam could feel the stares of obviously unfaithful mothers as he exited the driver's side of his car. Of course, he smirked when Gabriel got out the passenger side and the ogling women turned away with barely disguised awkwardness and, in some cases, disgust. The same went for Dean and Cas as they removed their children from their seats in the backseat of the Impala.

Joshua fidgeted with the strap of his backpack as he held Castiel's hand while they walked across the parking lot. Dean was holding Emily, and Sam, Gabe, Jess, Elijah, and Madison were following along behind. "I'm nervous, Daddy," Josh whined. "It's really really big in there."

"Remember," Cas advised his son as they stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the school, "the fear is always worse than the reality. There's nothing to be afraid of. Besides, your cousin Jess will be there with you, so you will not be alone in the school. You'll be okay," he assured the black-haired boy.

Dean caught up with his husband and son. He bent down and crouched next to Josh, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Okay, champ," he said gruffly, "Do you have your bottle of holy water and your amulet on you?"

Josh pulled an ornate silver pendant from under his shirt and showed it to Dean, as well as revealing the small metal canteen in his jacket pocket. "Yes, Dad," he assured his father. "I never forget that."

"Okay then." Dean stood back up. He turned back and looked at his brother, who'd been waiting patiently a few paces back. "Come on, Sam. Gabe, move like you mean it."

"Drill sergeant," Gabe muttered as he stomped past his brother-in-law with Eli in his arms. "It's not my fault that I gained weight. Having kids means that I need more energy."

"But, you see," Dean called to Gabriel's annoyed figure, "you actually have to use that energy and not let it build up into a total Pillsbury Doughboy belly."

Madison giggled from Sam's arms. "You're funny, Uncle Dean!" she squealed.

"Yes," Dean smiled cockily at his niece. "Yes I am."

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><p>Ten minutes later, the two families were sitting with about ten others in a surprisingly large classroom. The teacher, a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, smiled broadly at everybody. "Welcome to Independence Elementary School! I am Miss Lillian, and I will be your children's teacher this year." She began to explain the curriculum and basic rules for the class, and Dean, Cas, Sam, and Gabe found themselves to be extremely bored until Miss Lillian clapped her hands once and announced, "Okay then! Now we'll go around the room and have the children introduce themselves and their families."<p>

The two Winchester families were last, so they had to endure ten introductions by stuttering five-year-olds. Finally, Miss Lillian pointed to Jess. "Okay, honey, it's your turn. Tell me about yourself and your family."

Jess fidgeted nervously. She smoothed the skirt of her dress and began smoothly and clearly with the confidence of a Trickster. "My name is Jessica Faith Winchester, and you can call me Jess but not Jessie. I have a little sister named Madison and a baby brother named Elijah. I have two daddies, and one is really tall and the other is really short." She paused for a moment as the other families chuckled at that comment. "The tall one is my daddy named Sam. The short one is my dad named Gabriel, but Daddy calls him Gabe, and so do Uncle Dean and Uncle Cas. I really like to do puzzles and play jokes on Daddy." She primly nodded her head, making her golden curls wave about in just the right way.

"Okay," Miss Lillian continued. She turned to Joshua. "Hi! Tell everybody about yourself."

"Um," Joshua began nervously, but after Dean reassuringly rubbed his back, the five-year-old began again with cockiness that could only be associated with his father. "I'm Joshua Exodus Winchester." Right off the bat, Dean noticed the curious glances that his and Sam's families received at the mention of the same last name. Unaware, Joshua continued. "You can call me Josh. I have a little baby sister named Emily Hope and I have two dads. My big dad is really tough and is named Dean. My other dad is really nice and he wears a big tan trench coat. His name is Castiel, but everybody calls him Cas. I wear a cool necklace that protects me from danger and I like to build things with my dads."

"Just out of curiosity, and I don't mean to pry," Miss Lillian began, "but how is it that both of these children have the same last name?"

Sam explained, "Dean and I are brothers. We're really close, so our entire family is tight-knit, so it's like a single family instead of two." He lifted Madison into the air and held her against his hip. "And then along came our little angels."

"...Yes." Miss Lillian looked uncomfortable now, and Sam internally laughed as he realized that since he, Gabriel, Dean, and Castiel were gay, they were assumed to have adopted their children or have used a surrogate mother. "Well, that's the end of the day. You can have lunch now in the cafeteria or you can just leave. Remember that tomorrow, you are only allowed to drop your child off at the school as opposed to accompanying them. Have a very nice day!" Miss Lillian smiled broadly yet again, and the families in the classroom dispersed.

"Bye!" Madison suddenly waved to Miss Lillian, and the kindergarten teacher waggled her fingers in a responding gesture.

Sam scooped his other daughter up in his arms, carrying Madison and Jessica out of the classroom. Gabriel kissed Eli's soft cheek and carried the baby out of the classroom after Sam and the girls had gone. Joshua trotted out of the room on his own, with Dean trailing protectively behind. Castiel held Emily close to himself as they exited the school.

"That was terrible," Dean groaned as they stepped into the cool September air. "Torturous."

Gabriel looked over at his brother-in-law and added, "That teacher was not to my liking. That chick was creepy."

"She wasn't that bad," Sam protested, but after a moment of thought, he corrected himself. "No, I lied. She was a total supercreep."

"Weird as Uncle Gabriel's candy addiction," Joshua commented solemnly from where he walked just ahead of his family. "Maybe weirder."

While Gabriel looked hurt and somewhat offended, Dean roared with laughter and clapped his five-year-old son on the back. "That's my boy!" he chuckled. "A real Winchester."

They hopped back into their respective cars and drove back home, leaving Independence Elementary School in the dust.

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><p>That night, Sam and Gabriel were woken up by a wide-eyed Jessica, who was clutching her fluffy pink dog. She shook Sam's shoulder insistently, calling, "Daddy. Daddy, wake up!"<p>

Sam nudged Gabriel awake and rolled over to face his daughter. He sat up with a tired grunt, and patted the bed for Jess to sit on the mattress. Gabriel sat up too. "What is it, princess?" Sam yawned.

"I had a scary dream, Daddy." Jess's hazel eyes were hidden by the sudden appearance of her wings, which wrapped around her protectively. She peered over the snowy, downy white feathers and whispered, "It was really scary."

Sam glanced worriedly at his husband; he'd been concerned that one of their children would inherit his debilitating nightmares and now it seemed to be Jess that was experiencing them. "What was it about?"

"I saw me, but it wasn't me. She was all dirty and she had a big cut on her face. It was yucky, and she was crying a lot. And then these big people with wings came and took her away. And then she was gone, so I woke up."

Gabriel's eyes were alert now. "Jess, honey," he said slowly, "you said that the girl in your dream looked exactly like you, right?"

Jess nodded. "Yep. She was just like me. But she had big orange eyes like you, Dad."

"Big orange eyes...guys with wings...Jess, did they call her anything?" Sam was holding his daughter by the shoulders now. His hazel eyes were wild.

"Yeah," Jess whimpered, growing increasingly scared of her frantic father. "They called her a hybrid, a monster, and...a name, but I can't remember it."

"I do."

Gabe, Sam, and Jess all turned their eyes to the doorway, where Madison was holding her green cat in her arms. The four-year-old looked tired and disheveled. "What do you remember?" Gabriel asked his daughter warily.

"Jess talked in her sleep, so she kept me awake. She kept saying one word, and it was weird-sounding."

"What did Jess say, baby?" Sam asked gently.

Madison shuffled her feet. "They called her Winchester...Damaris Winchester."

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><p><strong>Wow. The plot thickens even more. Sorry about the fast-forward, but I had a free period today and just HAD to write it like this. Please review and tell me what you think happened to Damaris, because maybe I'd use your suggestion in the story! Thanks!<strong>


	20. Seraphim Rising

**Hi, guys. So...Death's Door. That was one heck of an episode. Poor Bobby! Well, I'm using him anyway, regardless of what may or may not happen after the hellatus.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>Sam opened the door.<p>

"Hey, boy. Long time no see."

"Hey, Bobby," Sam sighed, and the shorter, baseball cap-wearing man threw his arms around him.

"It's been too long, Sam," Bobby said gruffly from his spot around Sam.

"Yeah, Bobby," Sam echoed quietly. "It's been too long."

Gabriel appeared just inside the house, watching the two men that were practically father and son. They'd been through at least three Apocalypses, hundreds of deaths, and more demonic sons of bitches than Gabe could even hope to count. This was the man that Sam had loved more than even John Winchester, had spoken of so highly in his youth while Dean went on to be the obedient little soldier. For a moment, he silently observed the exchange before tentatively speaking up. "Hello, Bobby."

Sam and Bobby pulled out of their embrace and looked at the archangel. Bobby's eyes, as usual, narrowed instinctively at the sight of the being he'd once known as a Trickster. Then the grizzled hunter's gaze softened. "Gabriel," he acknowledged. "I guess you can say that I'm here to help."

Gabriel nodded. "That's good to hear."

"Bobby? Is that you?" All three men looked over at the other house on the lot and saw Dean striding towards them. When the hunter got close enough, his tired face broke into a wide smile. "Hey, Bobby!"

Bobby chuckled wearily at Dean. "Hey, ya idjit." After patting the Dean on the back, Bobby turned to Sam and Gabriel again. "I have all my stuff in the truck…"

Gabe snapped his fingers. "It's all in the formal living room now." He grabbed Bobby's arm and dragged the man into the house. He barely gave Bobby any time to take in the sights of the house before sitting the grizzled hunter down at the kitchen table.

"So, care to introduce me to your little flock of children, Sam?" Bobby gestured to the three wide-eyed kids that stared at him with hazel and amber eyes.

Sam, who had sat down at the head of the table, gestured to each of the children. "The baby boy is Elijah Luke, the little clone of me is Madison Lenore, and this is our little psychic, Jessica Faith. She's the reason that I called you over here."

"Hello," Bobby said awkwardly to Jess, who stared boldly back at him. "Can you tell me what happened, Jessica?"

"My name is Jess," Jess corrected before continuing. "I saw a girl like me named Damaris Winchester. She was all cut up and dirty and big guys made of light with wings were there too. They were saying lots of weird words."

"Like what, Jess?" Gabriel suddenly broke in. "You never told us about the words."

Jess ducked her head embarrassedly before she announced, "They said three words that I didn't know: vessel, Seruf, and seraph."

"Vessel…they took Damaris to be a vessel?" Sam yelled, pounding his fist down on the table, not noticing how his angelic powers had flared up and had scorched a fist-shaped mark into the table.

Bobby put his hand on Sam's shoulder, and then withdrew- Sam's shoulder was burning hot. "Sam, calm down. I have a book that might have some more information on this kind of thing."

"Then get it," Sam hissed through clenched teeth.

Before Bobby could get up, he felt a probing in his brain and then Gabriel raised his fingers in a lazy snap again. A musty leather-covered book appeared in front of Bobby. The hunter raised the bound pages and flipped through them. He came to a particularly well-worn piece of yellow paper and read aloud. "Seraphim, the oldest and most powerful creatures of Heaven, are creatures of extreme power. They are so powerful and their holiness burns so powerfully that they cannot take a human as their host. Only a child with the blood of an angel may be a vessel for a seraph. For Seruf, the prince of fire, only a child born with the blood of angels and demons in their human blood may host that seraph's power. A child, unless there are certain circumstances, must at least be sixteen to host a seraph." The hunter glanced up from the book. "So we have time to find your daughter," he assured Sam and Gabriel.

Gabriel sighed. "But did you say that there was the possibility of 'certain circumstances?' Because I am not liking the sound of that."

"Circumstances meaning that either the child willingly accepts the seraph before they turn sixteen or that the seraph is born with the child," Bobby explained. "So technically, any one of your children or Dean's could be hosting a member of the seraphim."

"Oh, shit," Sam moaned. "They could be all holy already?"

"Daddy, what's a seraph?" Madison spoke up quietly, and all eyes turned to the brown-haired child. The younger Winchester girl stared again at Sam. "And who's Damaris?"

"She's none of your business!" Gabriel yelled suddenly, and then he angrily snapped. Madison, Jessica, and Elijah all disappeared. Then, ignoring the startled stares from Sam and Bobby, the archangel brought out his holy sword, lighting it up with lightning.

"Gabriel, what the fuck are you doing?" Sam yelled.

Gabriel squared his shoulders and hefted his crackling sword. His amber eyes were burning with a fury that Sam hadn't seen since when the archangel had taken them to TV Land. He widened his stance and then glared at Bobby and Sam. "Let's light this candle, bitches."

And then he disappeared.

* * *

><p>Damaris was scared.<p>

She was more scared than she'd ever been in her life. And it had only been about five years that she'd lived.

It was terrible. It had been since all those times that she had cried and screamed and fought them.

Them being the seraphim, of course.

Seruf was angry. He'd said so. And when Seruf wasn't happy, nobody was.

The seraphim didn't like it when she struggled.

They'd hacked off her hair; had slashed down her face. And Damaris had screamed when Seruf had personally burned a sigil into her wings.

He'd hissed as he'd branded the symbol into her wings with his extremely powerful, fiery Grace. "You are mine now, Damaris Grace Winchester. My sigil on your wings- forever."

And now she was in the room again. It was a yucky room, but Achaiah had been nice and had given her a bed and a few broken toys to play with. So she sat on her bed, swinging her legs and singing quietly to herself. She didn't even know what the tune was; she just remembered it from a long, long time ago. It always made her feel better.

A sudden snap interrupted the song. Damaris looked up and saw a short man holding an electric sword in his hand. He had longish, blondish hair and bright orangey eyes that looked very angry. Damaris didn't recognize him. "Hi," she said tentatively. "I'm Damaris. What's your name?"

The man's tense face suddenly relaxed. He ran to Damaris and picked her up with a laugh. Damaris tried to squirm out of her arms; she'd learned not to trust people. But then the man put her down on the ground and knelt to her level. "Damaris," he whispered. "It's so good to see you."

"Who are you?" Damaris demanded again.

The man smiled grimly. "I'm Gabriel Winchester. I'm an archangel. That's all you need to know right now, but I'm here to help you. Can you help me help you?"

"Yes, Mr. Winchester," Damaris replied obediently. She'd learned that obedience didn't get her hurt.

"Please, Damaris," Gabriel said, "call me Gabriel." Then he snapped his fingers and the door to the room flew open. The electric sword reappeared in Gabriel's hand. Damaris whimpered in fear at the sight of the blade, but Gabriel just grinned and scooped Damaris up in his arms. "Come on, angel girl," he chuckled. "Let's go raise a little Hell."

Damaris bounced in the archangel's arms as they stormed through the hallways that were so familiar to her now. Occasionally, she would call out directions to guide Gabriel to where the seraphim gathered. They arrived at the large, bronze doors.

The doors themselves were incredible. There were nine panels- four on each of the two doors, and one that was in the center of the doors. It was obvious that the middle panel would split apart when the doors would open. Each panel depicted a face with a sigil beneath it. "Chaylon, Itael, Achaiah, Vehuiah, Elemiah, Jeliel, Cahetel, and Barakiel," Gabriel read the first eight panels. Then Damaris noticed that the archangel glared pointedly at the center panel, which shone with a disembodied fiery glow. "Seruf," Gabriel snarled, and Damaris shivered at the raw fury in her new friend's voice.

"So are we going in?" Damaris inquired quietly.

Gabriel looked into Damaris's eyes. He grinned wickedly. "Yes we are, angel girl," he hissed amusedly, and then he lifted a leg and kicked the bronze doors inward with a resounding clang.

The seraphim were all gathered in the center of the room, as they usually were. Since they did not have truly human vessels, the seraphim were just in their typical forms as humanoid light forms. Each looked different, but one stood out. It was a bright red being whose form crackled with what looked to be holy fire. The seraph looked over at them, his form taking a more defined shape as it strode towards them, spreading its massive wings for emphasis. "Gabriel," its voice boomed. "The 'Strength of God,' the 'Prince of Fire.' Long time no see, little Trickster brother. Good to see you."

"Seruf," Gabriel growled back. "Seraphic prince of fire. The only being of Heaven that can survive contact with holy fire. Can't say I can return the feelings."

Seruf's form glanced at Damaris, who was hiding her face in Gabriel's neck. "So I see you found my favorite pet," he commented calmly, as if describing the weather. "I must admit I'm surprised that it took you this long to figure it out and come back to reclaim her." The seraph paused. "Like lost baggage, almost."

Gabriel put Damaris down and went into his true form, storming towards the seraph with rage crackling across his being with fire and lightning. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT, YOU EVIL SON OF A BITCH!" he roared, hefting the holy blade as it elongated into a fiery spear.

The seven other seraphim chuckled. Seruf glanced backwards at his brethren with amusement before returning his burning gaze to Gabriel. "Now, now, Gabriel. Let's not do anything rash here," he drawled out lazily. "You don't want to get yourself hurt. Remember- our little circle hates you and your pitiful band for killing Vehuiah."

Gabriel's true form's fire diminished just enough to show his human vessel. "You still need me and my family to be your vessels. Otherwise, you're useless on Earth. You need us to survive," he shot back at Seruf with contempt dripping from every syllable.

At this, Seruf raised a spectral finger and waggled it, and a hint of a smile appeared where the seraph's mouth would be if he had a human form. "Ah...I beg to differ, little brother. You see, the rest of the seraphim and I have made sure to have a bit of insurance just in case of these kinds of difficulties." He gestured to one of the seraphim- Damaris knew it was Jeliel- and ordered, "Fetch them."

Damaris trotted forwards and grabbed onto the leg of Gabriel's pants, not even cowering from the flames that licked at her arms from the archangel's form. "What's going on?" she whispered up at Gabriel.

The short angelic being glanced down at the five-year-old. "I don't know, but I'm afraid that the answer will be exactly what I'm fearing."

"Gabriel and Damaris, I'd like to introduce you to my new projects," Seruf announced. He stepped aside and revealed a group of three people. One was Kyriel, the formerly rebelling angel who had been turned by Vehuiah. The others were Adam Milligan and a tiny infant.

"What the...?" Gabriel began, but Seruf broke in with a chuckle.

"You see, you're not the only ones who can bring Winchesters back from Hell." He turned to glance at the small family he had created. "However," he pondered, "the children won't be _as_ powerful since Adam will not be receiving any sorts of enhancements, like Sam and Dean. Regardless of that, though, they will still be adequate vessels for me and my siblings."

Gabriel swept Damaris protectively into his arms, spreading his wings to show his power and his refusal to be cowed. "You'll never get away with this," he snarled.

"Au contraire, little brother." Seruf was turning away now. He waved his hand lazily. "I have no use for the little child now that I have a perfect vessel factory. Anyways, this child here-" Seruf placed a glowing, translucent finger on the forehead of the baby in Adam's arms. "This child's soul never had a chance against the might of a seraph. As we speak, our good friend Jeliel is settling in." Seruf glanced back at Gabriel and Damaris. "Go. Leave. We have to train Jeliel in the ways of not destroying this human's precious body." He began laughing, a horrible, crackling, evil sound that carried all the might of God in a single sound.

Gabriel, the youngest archangel, hefted Damaris in his arms and turned away from the oldest of the most ancient level of Heaven. "Let's go," he stated calmly, but Damaris could tell that her friend was seething on the inside.

"Go where, Gabriel?" she asked innocently, honestly having no idea as to where this archangel was taking her.

"My dear little angel girl," Gabriel whispered affectionately, "we're going home."

And then they were flying.

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><p>All Sam could wonder was where the hell Gabriel had gone.<p>

Thankfully, his husband had only snapped their children into their rooms and not Antarctica in his sudden fit of rage (he had done that before). Of course, all of them were a bit shaken by their father's spontaneous outburst, but then the girls had spotted Bobby and had immediately taken an interest in his beard. Eli now sat in Dean's arms.

Dean, Castiel, Joshua, and Emily had all come over after the little 'wrath of God' incident to catch up with Bobby. The hunter already knew all of the children by name and had started affectionately referring to them as 'the little rugrats.' They were all half-listening to the TV in Sam's family room while the older three children played and Elijah and Emily were held in the grown-ups' arms.

Of course, all of the grown-ups but one.

"When do you think he's going to get back from wherever he went?" Dean asked while lying on his back on the floor next to the couch.

Sam glanced down at his brother. "Truthfully, that all depends on where the hell he went."

For a moment, the adults fell silent, processing that statement in their heads for a moment.

Cas, who was sitting next to Bobby on the couch with Elijah in his arms, put in, "He was always a hothead, even as an angel. Of course, he wasn't a _Lucifer_ kind of hothead, but he was still a hothead. He'll be back after he simmers down."

"I hate to break it to you, Cas," Bobby commented gruffly, "but he had an electric holy archangel sword in his hands when he disappeared. I think it'll take a while for him to cool down."

"Or not!" Gabriel's voice singsonged from the entrance to the family room. For a moment, everything was silent as all heads in the room turned to the archangel. Even the TV seemed to have muted itself in order to maintain the atmosphere as all eyes traveled from Gabriel to th child he held in his arms.

She was blond. She had wings. She had bright amber eyes like a certain mischievous archangel.

"Holy mother of God," Sam managed to gasp out. That was all he could accomplish because the child in his husband's arms was the one person that he thought he'd never see ever again. But here she was, in the flesh.

Damaris.

"Surprise," Gabriel whispered. "I know it's a couple months before Christmas, Sammy, but I got you a present."

Sam stood up slowly, walking to his husband and long-lost daughter. Jess stood up too, looking curiously at Damaris. Sam suddenly wrapped his gargantuan arms around Gabriel and Damaris, beginning to cry loudly with great heaves of his back. "You're back," he managed to announce between sobs.

"Sammy," Gabriel said gently. "You know that she'd always come back."

Everybody else in the room got up and walked to the embracing family. Madison, Jess, and Joshua approached first, wrapping their own tiny limbs around Sam and Gabriel's legs. Then came Dean and Cas, who each hugged their respective brothers. Bobby, who was holding both Elijah and Emily now, went in for the hug next, and for a moment, they were all a single mass, a single family with sons and daughters and a grumpy old drunk for a grandfather, with Damaris in the very center of it all.

Because they had always known that she'd come back.

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><p><strong>Yay for chapters! Pretty please review this! This was mostly a fluff chapter, but we get into the nitty-gritty of the seraphim next chapter. REVIEWS ARE LOVE!<strong>


	21. Apple Pie Lives Have Flaws

**It's been a long time since the last update. Sorry. But no reviews from you guys on Chapter 20, so that was offensive. Here's the story anyways.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>Damaris was going to go flying.<p>

First time out? Yes.

She had just turned 13. Both of her fathers had agreed that it was time for her, her twin, and her cousin to have their first go at flying.

"Remember, angel," Sam reminded her as they walked out the door of their house, "keep flying. Do not stop moving your wings, no matter how tired they are. I'm not going to take the risk of you trying to glide." He ruffled her golden curls affectionately and Damaris leaned into her father's muscular and comforting bulk.

"Sam!" Gabriel called from just behind them, where he had an arm around the shoulders of an obviously nervous Jessica. "We're not going to let them go cruising in the sky on their first day! Just minor flying from place to place is what we agreed on."

"Damn straight!" came a cheerful call. Sam turned and saw Dean, Castiel, Joshua, and Emily walking out their own front door. "Ready to go flying?" the hunter called with all of the vigor he'd had thirteen years ago, which was the last time he'd aged.

Joshua looked up at his dark blond-haired father. "Dad, come on already. Just let me fly and stuff."

"Insolent teenager," Castiel muttered as he ruffled the hair of his eldest child, whose every feature was identical to his dark-haired dad, except for his winning smile and cocky personality, courtesy of Dean. "Why can't you just have my personality and just call yourself my clone?"

"Enough," Sam groaned. "Let's just do this." He walked away from Gabriel, Jess, Damaris, and Elijah and met his brother in the middle of the parking lot. "Are you sure they're ready to do the whole flying teleportation thing?" he whispered in Dean's ear.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "They're thirteen, Sam. I think they can handle it."

"I began flying when I was two hours old," Cas commented.

"Yeah, Dad, but you're a real angel," Joshua broke in, rolling his blue eyes in annoyance. "Of course you were able to fly when you were alive for two hours." Josh was a powerful kid in terms of angelic abilities. He'd been able to kill demons since he'd been in third grade (long story) and he could also mimic voices like Castiel was known to do.

Cas glared affectionately at his son. "Get over there," he declared, pointing to where Jessica and Damaris were standing. "Don't kill anybody if you don't have to."

Josh strode confidently over to his cousins, who had already manifested their wings. He let his own Heavenly appendages appear, and the blues and greens of the feathers sparkled in the sunlight. Damaris appraised her cousin critically. As the most civil and mature of the three of them, Damaris had the exact bookish personality of Sam, her father. She and Jess both had combined abilities of demonic and angelic varieties. Both of them could kill demons and use telekinesis, but only Damaris could expel that bright light that both angels and demons like Lilith could use. Jess's unique power was that she had many of the Trickster abilities of Gabriel, and one of her favorite pasttimes was altering reality.

"Ready to go?" Damaris asked her sister and cousin. When they nodded, all three thirteen-year-olds looked expectantly to their parents.

"Okay, so remember that you don't need your wings to manifest in order to fly. They work just fine as long as you have them," Gabriel explained. "Technically, flying and teleportation are interchangeable, seeing as teleportation is just really fast flying. So teleportation is our goal. Are you with me so far?" the archangel asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. When his two daughters and his nephew nodded, Gabe continued. "So over there-" he pointed to three targets that were painted on the ground, "-are your first destinations. Each of you focus on where you want to go and then think of using your wings. If all goes well, you can teleport with relative ease."

"Dad?" Jess asked boldly.

Dean, Sam, and Castiel exchanged a look. They all knew that Jess was exactly like her Trickster father, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but Jess was devious and had caused the other three adults a lot of grief. Gabriel, however, smiled widely at his daughter. "Yep?"

"Can I do the snap thing instead of the flying thing?" the golden-haired girl asked.

"Sure," Cas broke in. "If Gabriel can do both, then you probably can too."

Sam looked at the children. "Are we ready?" he asked.

"Yes!" Damaris, Joshua, and Jessica chorused.

Dean smirked. "Then go," he allowed, lazily waving a hand towards the targets. "Whoever gets to the targets and back first wins."

Jess frowned at her uncle, then stared intently at the targets. Damaris narrowed her eyes, and her bronzen wings disappeared. Joshua exhibited similar actions, though he seemed to be having more success. He suddenly disappeared in a rustle of feathers and reappeared in the center target.

"Showoff," Damaris and Jess muttered darkly. Then they both frowned at their cousin and suddenly they were gone too, only to reappear to tackle Joshua to the ground.

The four parents laughed at the classic display of revenge. Then, as Damaris suddenly teleported back and was declared the winner, Cas's face went white. He looked at his husband, brother, and brother-in-law. "I just remembered," he whispered.

"What, Cas?" Dean asked exasperatedly.

"We forgot to enroll the children in school this year."

"Oh, shit!" Dean, Sam, and Gabriel groaned.

* * *

><p>"And who are these three?" the seventh-grade teacher asked expectantly. She stared at the tall man that had his hands on the shoulders of twin blond girls and the shorter man that stood behind a dark-haired teenaged boy.<p>

"New students for you, Mrs. Acker," the taller man explained. "I'm Sam Winchester, and these are my two oldest daughters, Jessica and Damaris."

Mrs. Acker frowned. "I see." She turned to the other man, raising her eyebrows expectantly. "And you are...?"

"Dean Winchester. I'm Sam's brother, and this is my oldest son, Joshua," Dean introduced himself and his son.

"Well, come on in," Mrs. Acker allowed the children. She looked at the two fathers. "And you two can go, Mr. and Mr. Winchester." Once Sam and Dean had bobbed their heads, bade a quick farewell, and left, Mrs. Acker turned back to Jessica, Damaris, and Joshua. "Well, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Damaris looked uncomfortable, but she quietly introduced herself. "I'm Damaris Winchester. I like to read about mythology."

"Very nice," Mrs. Acker encouraged the obviously shy girl. "You can sit over there next to Hazel." After Damaris had seated herself, Mrs. Acker asked Jessica, "What about you?"

The other blond girl confidently tossed her hair over her shoulder and announced, "My name is Jessica Winchester, but you can call me Jess. But not Jessie. I hate that name. But I do like to create and build things." Mrs. Acker nodded and directed her to a seat at the front of the class.

Joshua spoke up before Mrs. Acker got the chance to indicate him. "I'm Joshua Winchester. You can call me Josh. I fix classic cars with my dad and uncle." He flashed a winning Winchester smile at some of the girls in the class. "Yeah, and I love classic rock."

"Very good," Mrs. Acker praised, instructing the confident boy to sit by the window. "Okay, class, our new arrivals came just in time. We are beginning our discussions about beliefs and customs in Christianity and its branches as we study religious conflicts. So I will begin with one question: How many of you believe in God?"

Almost all the students in the class raised their hands; Jess, Damaris, and Josh exchanged uneasy looks as they raised their own arms into the air.

"And how many of you believe in Heaven?"

A multitude of hands went down. Jess rolled her eyes, while Damaris bit her lip. Joshua rolled his shoulders nervously and kept his hand up, like his cousins.

"Do any of you believe in angels?"

Only three hands remained.

"Damaris, Jess, and Josh, why do you believe in angels? Are there any in particular that you believe in?" Mrs. Acker blinked expectantly.

"I believe in Castiel. He's an angel of Thursday," Joshua said uncertainly, which was unusual for him.

Jess spoke up too. "We believe in Castiel too, but we also believe in Gabriel, the archangel."

A brutish-looking kid asked, "Isn't Gabriel, like, a girl or something?"

Damaris muttered, "No, but he does have the hair."

"What was that, Damaris?" Mrs. Acker inquired, her ever-sharp hearing picking up the quiet girl's voice.

"Nothing," all three of the new students chorused, looking uneasy. Mrs. Acker was about to question them but then the bell for dismissal rang and the students gratefully bolted for the door. As they left, Mrs. Acker strained to hear the conversation that her newest charges were having. She only caught bits and pieces.

"...bad move...might get suspicious."

"Damaris...not your fault...not anybody's."

"My dad...going to be pissed...take us...for good...stupid angels."

"Ha!...you're not...archangel...father...going to...our asses are smoked...ward the room...Enochian." Damaris whispered furiously back to Joshua. She looked up and saw Mrs. Acker looking curiously at them and lowered her voice again. "Home...tell them...going to yell...smite us?"

_Smite you? Enochian? Angels?_ Mrs. Acker wondered. _Perhaps their parents are highly religious._

The trio finished their hushed conversation and rushed out the door. A few minutes after they had left, Mrs. Acker caught sight of the three of them ducking into a black muscle car. A solemn man in a trench coat was in the driver's seat. Mrs. Acker's mind raced. This man couldn't be the parent of any of the children; she had met both the fathers! "Good God almighty, are they getting willingly kidnapped?" the teacher whispered frantically. She rushed to the main office of the school and breathlessly ran into the principal's office. "Principal Williams, I think that our newest students just got kidnapped!" she announced.

Principal Williams put down her pen and looked up at the teacher. "Do you have any reason to think so?" she asked coolly.

"Yes. I met their fathers just half an hour ago and now they just left with another man."

"Hmmm. I'll tell the police and have them meet us here. Then we can go with them to the children's known address and see what's going on." Principal Williams picked up the phone on her desk and calmly dialed the number. She informed the police of the suspected situation and then hung up. She looked up at Mrs. Acker. "Get your car ready."

Five minutes later, two squad cars and a good chunk of the school staff were roaring down the road to the home of the Winchesters.

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><p><strong>Please review this time! I feel sad without love from the readers!<strong>


	22. Ha, You Just Got Owned

**Wow. I was really being all bitchy about last chapter. So sorry about that! Well, anyways, here is the much-awaited Chapter 22 because I decided to make you guys happy. Oh, and a side note: I am now a registered beta reader! Yay! Well, read on, my friends!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

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><p>"Dad, there are cars pulling into the lot. They passed the wards. Dad, they're coming for us!" Emily was nearly screaming now as she looked back at Castiel with wide eyes that only a well-trained Winchester eleven-year-old could have.<p>

Cas approached from the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel. "What, Emily?" he asked, looking at his young daughter.

The raven-haired girl pointed out the front window from where she was sketching a picture worthy of being in a museum. "Two police cars and a lot of others. Should we be worried?" She glanced over her shoulder at her angelic father. "Dad?"

The angel's face had gone white. "Dean!" he called. "I think we may have a problem."

"What the hell could possibly be wrong this time, Cas?" Dean walked in from the kitchen too, but he was holding a spoon with teryaki sauce on it. "I was in the middle of learning how to cook something that's not microwaveable or frozen."

Two hands raised to point out the large bay window with its comfy window seat. "That, Dean," Castiel stated solemnly. "That is what is wrong."

"Damn," Dean appraised as he took in the two police vehicles and other personnel. "Did you shoot somebody when you picked the kids up from school?"

"I don't believe so," Castiel frowned. "I just drove over and picked them up, and then I came straight home. I did nothing illegal." The angel's face screwed up in concentration. "I don't _think_ that I did anything that is illegal in Chicago. I'd have to consult a law book to be sure."

"Dad, don't worry about it. You did nothing wrong," Emily assured her angelic father.

Dean patted Cas's shoulder and gave the angel a quick peck on the lips before disappearing back into the kitchen. "You heard the girl. Don't stress yourself, Cas!" he called through the house. "Just keep an eye on the situation and call me if any of them are monsters that need immediate ganking by yours truly."

"Yes, Dean," Castiel answered absently as he glanced worriedly out the window again.

"Yes, Dad," Emily echoed, beginning to sketch a Sistine Chapel-worthy picture of the group of cars.

* * *

><p>Next door, Sam and Gabriel were peering out their upstairs window with their four children. "Well?" Madison asked, her twelve-year-old features pulled into a classic bitchface, courtesy of Sam.<p>

"I don't know, Maddie," Gabriel answered absently as he nervously thumbed the fabric of the exquisite curtains. "Oh, Sam, they're getting out of the cars."

"Wait a second," Sam exclaimed, squinting to get a better look at the group of people striding towards their house. "That's Jess, Damaris, and Josh's teacher! I met her just over an hour ago! Why the hell does she have the police with her?"

Eight-year-old Elijah looked up at his tall father. "But Daddy, aren't the policemen our friends?" he questioned innocently, blinking up at Sam with bright green eyes.

"Yes, buddy, the policemen are our friends and they're usually here to help," Gabriel answered for his husband, who had left to go downstairs. "But sometimes they aren't."

"Oh," Eli answered quietly, and then he hopped off the windowsill and trotted after his three older sisters, who had followed Sam downstairs.

Gabriel sighed and followed as well, biting his lip nervously when the doorbell rang. He knew that he could use his super awesome Badass Holy Archangel Policeman of His Father powers and smite the invaders any day, but he knew from experience that Sam would be a jackass and withhold any sex or displays of affection for a week, which was never good. He rounded the corner and sped down the stairs, where two officers were standing with a brown-haired woman.

"What can I do for you?" Sam asked, leaning against the open door.

"Mr. Winchester, do you know where your daughters and nephew are?" the first policeman asked.

Sam was perplexed, and he looked behind himself. "Yeah, hang on a sec," he informed the officers before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned with all four children in tow. "Here they are, safe and sound. May I ask what this is concerning?"

"Your nephew and daughters were seen leaving the school with a man that was not either you or Joshua's father. Care to explain?" Mrs. Acker broke in from behind the officers. "I was merely concerned for their safety as my students."

"Oh, um, follow me!" Sam exclaimed, running a hand through his shaggy hair and leading the officers and teacher away from the door of his house. The rest of the Winchester flock followed behind, with Gabriel scooping up Eli to follow. The little entourage went to Dean and Cas's house, where the policemen rapped on the door.

Castiel made the mistake of opening the door. "Yes?" he asked nervously.

"That's him!" Mrs. Acker announced loudly. "That's the man that took the children!"

"Took the...what?" Cas looked extremely uncomfortable and nervous. "The children? But I merely picked them up..."

Joshua and Dean approached from the in ner workings of the house. "Can I help you guys?" Dean asked. He caught a glimpse of the teacher hovering behind the officers. "Mrs. Acker? What are you doing here?"

"Y-you know this man?" Mrs. Acker stammered.

"Yeah," Dean said slowly, putting his arm around Cas's shoulders. "This is my husband." Sam tried to hold in a snort of laughter at the sight of Dean's 'you-are-such-an-idiot' expression.

The faces of Mrs. Acker and the police officers went slack. Behind the stunned trio, Sam and Gabriel were trying to hide their laughter. "Oh, and Mrs. Acker," Gabriel called. When the dumbfounded teacher turned around perplexedly, Gabriel announced, "I'm Gabriel Winchester. I'm Sam's husband."

"Oh, goodness," Mrs. Acker began to fluster, her face turning bright red. "I didn't know- well, I didn't assume that you-"

"That we're gay?" Sam broke in, crossing his arms with a trademark bitchface. "Yeah, well, you might want to wake up and smell the roses."

The two policemen looked thoroughly embarrassed and pissed off at Mrs. Acker. "Sorry to bother you, sirs," the first officer acknowledged the Winchester men gruffly. He whipped out a notepad and a pen. "We'll just need the names of every person in this residence so as not to experience this type of...mishap again." He glared at Mrs. Acker as he said the word 'mishap.'

"Castiel Winchester," Cas put in. "And you already know Joshua; this is my daughter, Emily." He gestured to the eleven-year-old with long, raven-black hair and olive green eyes.

The policeman jotted the names down before turning to the other Winchester family. "And you?"

Sam, who was still struggling not to burst out laughing at the situation, introduced his family. "This is my husband, Gabriel Winchester. And here are my three daughters and son; their names are Jessica, Damaris, Madison, and Elijah."

The offier nodded and then tipped his hat to the families. "We apologize for the inconvenience and ignorant misconception. Carry on as usual. Have a nice day." With that, the obviously mortified officers turned and walked down to their squad cars, peeling out as quickly as possible.

That left Mrs. Acker. The teacher looked frantically from one family to the other. "But...but...?" It was almost sad how confused the poor woman was, Gabriel observed.

"If you're wondering," Sam drawled, "how we have children that look like us, then I'll just straighten that little confusion out. Emily and Josh were Cas's kids with his wife, Anna," he lied through his teeth, hating how he couldn't talk about the true origins of their families. After receiving a thorough glare-down from Castiel at the Anna comment, Sam continued, though he was a lot more pissed this time, seeing as now he was talking about his own children. "Gabriel's kids are the twins and Elijah, with his wife."

"Kali," Gabriel put in helpfully, enjoying the lying.

"And Madison is my daughter with my girlfriend, Jess," Sam grated out, his barely-noticeable Midwest accent showing through in the brief moment of anger. "Sadly, she died in a fire shortly after Maddie was born."

"Anna was killed by my eldest brother," Castiel added innocently.

Gabriel, clearly having the time of his life, casually added, "Kali was almost killed by my older brother, but then she escaped and I haven't seen her since." Once he had finished his monologue, he turned to Sam and grinned wickedly. Then he picked up Eli and bounced the eight-year-old in his arms.

Mrs. Acker looked taken aback. "Well," she said shakily, "I apologize for the misunderstanding."

"Yeah, well," Dean struggled to hide his wide grin. "It's anybody's mistake."

"So I'll just be...going...then." The teacher's deer-in-headlights eyes blinked once before she hurried down the steps of Dean and Cas's front porch.

Jess smirked at her parents before calling, "See you in class tomorrow, Mrs. Acker!" She smiled innocently as the teacher turned back and offered a small wave before scurrying away and hurriedly disappearing into her car, which was a rather atrocious-looking .

As soon as the car had turned the bend around the corner of the parking lot, both of the Winchester families burst out laughing. Dean collapsed against the post of the porch, slapping the ground uproariously. Every single one of the golden-haired Winchester side of the family was wearing a tell-tale smirk behind their loud snickering.

"We totally humiliated her, didn't we?" Madison asked solemnly.

"Yes, Maddie," Castiel smiled at his niece. "We just totally humiliated her."

"Bitch just got owned," Josh added.

Dean glared at his son. "You're too young to swear." Then he thought for a moment. "On the other hand, the first time I said that was in second grade to this one chick named Paula. So go ahead." Again, he pondered the drifting dust cloud from the escaped cars and then concluded, "Yes, Joshua. That bitch just got owned."

"Now do your homework," Gabriel added, sauntering into his house with Eli and Madison in tow. Sam got up from where he'd been laughing on the ground and followed his husband. Damaris scrambled to her feet and jogged gracefully to her house.

Jess sighed in annoyance, gave Emily a quick hug- the two cousins were incredibly close- and swaggered up to her house, waggling her fingers in a smart-ass goodbye. "Toodles, guys!" she singsonged before whisking the front door open and striding into her home.

"C'mon," Dean said to his family. They went inside, and Emily immediately ran to the family room to resume her drawings. Dean returned to the kitchen, but about three seconds later, the hunter yelled, "Son of a _bitch_!"

Cas, who had been upstairs scolding Joshua for being disorganized, flew in and asked exasperatedly, "What now, Dean?"

Dean pointed petulantly at the charred remains of food in his frying pan. "My teryaki noodles died!" he complained.

"Get over it!" Joshua shouted down from his room.

The angel, who'd been looking wearily at his husband, glared up at the ceiling with that penetrating stare that only God's servants could have. "I swear," he growled, "he's just like you." Then he glanced in a softer way at Dean. "Use the angel powers and heal the noodles," he suggested.

Dean's eyes widened. "You can do that?" he gasped.

"Sure," Cas shrugged. "Now if you hear any suspicious sounds coming from upstairs, it's just me punishing the little look-alike clone of me for being insolent." He disappeared in a flutter of wings.

"Badass," Dean appraised. Then he looked down at the noodles. "Hocus-pocus, you burnt sons of bitches," he snarled, and then the teryaki noodles' charring reverted so that they were the perfect temperature and doneness. "Dinner!" he yelled.

The family of four flew in from different locations in the house, with the exception of Emily, of course. "Smells good, Dad!" the raven-haired girl praised her hunter father.

"It'd better smell good," Dean grumbled. "I had to go to a lot of trouble to make them."

As they dug in, Josh commented, "I never want Dad to punish me ever again."

Cas smiled grimly down into his noodles. "That's right, Joshua Exodus Winchester," he stated calmly. "That is absolutely right."

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><p><strong>So, that was a fluffy, humorous chapter. Not my usual spiel. Well, please review anyways!<strong>


	23. It's A Cruel, Cruel World

**Hello, guys! Chapter 23, right? Yeah. I've kinda lost track what with all of these stories I'm working on. God, I'm behind on all of my updates. Seriously, like every single one. Urgh. Well, enjoy this story regardless! It may be the last update for a good long while!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

**Note: This may be a short chapter. The plotline has veered away from the seraphim, hasn't it? Whoops. They're irking me. Maybe that'll change.**

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><p>Dean tossed a beer to Cas and sat down next to his husband on the deck. "So have you talked to Bobby yet?" he asked as he settled into the soft deck chair.<p>

The angel glanced at his human. "Yes."

"And?" Dean motioned for the dark-haired angel to continue talking. "What did he say?"

Cas ducked his head with all of the modesty of the angel that he was. He looked distinctly uncomfortable in Dean's eyes. "He said that it was true. He said that we had to make sure that the children were ready before it happened. And it's not much time till it happens."

"So we only have...what? Two, three months?" Dean took a giant swig of his beer, swinging the bottle around nervously. "Five, tops?"

"I'm thinking about two days."

"What?" the handsome hunter shot to his feet, fear flaring in his eyes. The bottle of beer he was holding shattered as his angelic powers flared briefly. "Two days at most? That's not enough time! Josh and Emily and Damaris and Jess and Madison and Eli-" he sat back down heavily. "It's too much."

"I know." Castiel leaned over and touched Dean's arm lightly; his pale, light fingers were hesitant. He knew better than to touch his husband when he was angry. "We have to tell Sam and Gabriel," he whispered softly.

Dean looked up; his emerald eyes were teary. "Then let's go." He stood up again abruptly, beginning to step off the deck before he stopped himself and disappeared in a flutter of massive wings. Castiel sighed and followed suit.

"What are you freaking out about, Dean?" Sam was saying as he stirred a pot of chicken noodle soup on the stove. Gabriel was leaning lazily against the counter, shaking small amounts of pepper and apparently angelic ingredients into the brew at random intervals.

Dean fiddled with his fingers, glancing at Elijah, who was sitting at the table in Sam's kitchen. His amber eyes were wide with childish curiosity. He looked back to his brother and the golden-haired archangel. "It's about the thing we talked to Bobby about," he said evasively.

Sam's shaggy head shot up at the mention of that. He locked eyes with Gabriel before swallowing nervously and looking to his youngest son. "Eli, can you excuse your daddies and uncles for a little while so the adults can talk? I'll send your soup to your room."

Eli nodded with a wiseness that outmatched his young age; the eight-year-old had the gift of infinite knowledge of nearly any concept in existence. "Yes, Daddy," he said cheerfully before scooting down from his chair and scurrying out of the room.

As soon as the child was gone, Gabriel stormed over to his brother, roughly grabbing the lesser angel by the collar of his ever-present trench coat. "What the hell do you mean?" he hissed. "Do you mean to say that they'll be taken...away?"

"For a brief time only," Castiel protested weakly. "They would be taken, fully changed, and then they would be given a choice. To be faithful, or to return here to Earth."

"And if they say yes?" Gabriel shot back in a blind fury, his fists lighting up with archangelic light as they curled tighter around Cas's trench coat. "And if they leave and become the mindless soldiers that we fear they'll become?"

Dean grimaced at the mention of mindless soldiers. "I'm used to being obedient. It can't possibly be that bad." He paused. "Will it?"

"I don't know," Castiel admitted.

Sam, who had been silent for the majority of the conversation, spoke up quietly. "We have to mark them, too. The kids, I mean."

"Tattoos?" Gabriel asked incredulously, turning his archangelic mother-hen protective fury on his husband. "We are _not_ tattooing our children...not until they're eighteen." He fiddled with a candy bar that he'd grabbed off of the counter and unwrapped it, popping a piece of rich chocalate into his mouth with shaking fingers. "Bad news, Sammy. This is bad, bad news for us." Once again, he looked quizzical as he sucked thoughtfully on the sweet chocolate. "What about the dogs? They're spiritually attached to the kids, aren't they?"

Prophet, Metallica, and Loki were now massive animals. They each had an extremely strong emotional connection with at least one of the children, and were more often than not used as pillows rather than watchdogs. Prophet almost never left Emily's side, and Metallica was like Joshua's fluffy shadow. Loki adored Jessica to no end. He had also fathered a litter of three pups. Their names were Genesis, who was Damaris's dog; Goliath, Madison's wide-pawed monster of a dog, and Solis, Elijah's lively golden-haired canine. All of them were massive and had enhanced abilities, much like hellhounds.

"I don't know," Cas repeated defeatedly. "I just know that Sam, Dean, and the children will be taken to Heaven and given full angelic powers. They have to be taken; it has been ordained by the prophets that the Winchesters must become full-blooded angels. They will be given a choice by the seraphim: they can either return to Earth or join the Host."

Dean frowned up at his angelic husband. "And what if they don't approve of our decision?"

"They'd probably try to kill you," Gabriel whispered solemnly.

Sam looked towards the ceiling, probably muttering all of the curses known to man. "I just..." he began, but then he stopped himself. "I'll call the kids." The shaggy-haired hunter closed his eyes and called, "Kids...all of you. Come into the kitchen in my house. Bring the dogs, too," he added.

The six children and six dogs appeared in a flutter of wings, and the kitchen immediately felt cramped. Eli had a pout on his face as he sat on Solis's fluffy, sturdy back. "You didn't let me finish my soup!" he complained petulantly.

"That's not important!" Dean snapped. Once the children had all quieted and the dogs had kept their panting to a lower volume, Dean knelt down at the children's level. "Okay," he murmured, strangely gentle for his usually coarse personality. "Any minute now, we will all be taken up to Heaven, where all of the angels are. You will become full angels and you will be asked one question. They will ask you if you want to come back home to Earth or become part of the Host of Heaven. I know that this is really unexpected, but you have to trust us. Okay?"

Damaris's amber eyes were wide with fear. Even though she was thirteen, she was still dependent on her dog, who she buried her face into in her terror. "What'll happen to us when we go up there?"

Sam came and wrapped his arm around his daughter. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "We just have to keep strong and-"

The kitchen was suddenly bursting with bright white light. Deafening ringing exploded in the ears of sixteen creatures with angelic roots, who shook in agony at the combined power of hwat surely was the entire Host of Heaven.

"No!" Castiel screamed, trying to grab onto Dean's arm, but suddenly the light grew to blinding, filling the room with its brilliance. The ringing of angel voices grew to brain-shattering volumes, and one of the children cried out in terror. Once again, Cas tried to scream out, but his cry of "Dean!" was lost in the ringing. Cas somehow managed to hear Gabriel screaming for his own husband, and suddenly an answering cry broke through the sound.

"I'll come back, Daddy!"

And then the noise and light stopped.

Silence.

Everything was silent.

And Castiel and Gabriel were alone.

Everybody else was gone.

Disappeared.

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><p><strong>Well? This one came to me while watching Ghost Adventures. Weird. Well, this story may be drawing to a close. HOWEVER, I will follow up with another related story...or two. So tell me what you think will happen in the next chapter...which may be the last.<strong>

**Review with any and all comments and suggestions, please!**


	24. No Holds Barred

**Hey, guys! I updated the end of this fiasco and changed it up so that there could be a better ending. I understand that the previous ending was a disappointment and I apologize for that. I wrote that ending at three in the morning, no joke. I hope you like this better.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. I wish I did, but I don't.**

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><p>The world was black. Call it night, call it nothingness, or call it the absolute state of nonexistence, for all Elijah cared. It was still the same black. No more, no less. Just floating- was he floating? - in that empty darkness and absence of anything of physical value.<p>

Alone.

And then the light. White and yellow and every other color known to man was searing simultaneously into his skull with the force and heat of a billion stars. Scorching, burning, blinding, it felt like Eli's eight-year-old head would implode from the intensity of the light that persisted behind his eyes even as the initial source dimmed. The radiant spectrum faded away, leaving spirals and corkscrews to dance behind Eli's eyelids. He cracked his eyes open, and then slowly drew them wider as he realized that the painful light had disappeared. It took a while, but finally he could see again as the bright heat dissolved into a regal throne room.

It was only then that he realized that his ears were bleeding. He put his hands to the sides of his head and marveled at the sticky liquid scarlet that coated his fingers. After observing this, his latest discovery, Elijah remembered what had happened.

Angels.

Taken.

A choice.

"You're a quick learner, Elijah Luke Winchester," a ringing, deep voice boomed, so loudly that it nearly made Eli's ears start bleeding again. "Yes, you even woke quicker that the rest of the flock that you call a family."

Eli tried to focus his still-blurry, light-impaired vision and squinted around the throne room, trying to find the source of the loud voice. "Show yourself!" he snarled blindly, flinching at the juvenile squeak in his own voice.

"I'd rather not. It might kill you."

The golden-haired Winchester boy narrowed his clearing eyes. "You're a seraph," he accused. "You're going to make us into full angels."

The voice chuckled. "I'll say it again, Winchester. You are a quick learner. You would be a great asset to the Host."

"I'm not making any deals with you until I know the facts. Your name?" Eli shot back.

"Seruf. Heir to the Throne of God." Eli's eyes ticked to the empty throne as the voice paused. "Elijah Luke Winchester, you are…different."

"How?" Eli crossed his arms and stood in as intimidating a stance as he could as an eight-year-old.

Seruf's ringing voice replied with a note of anxiety that was barely discernible in the overpowering bass reverberations of holy resonance. "Powere. I sense great power. You are part of a great bloodline; you are the perfect hybrid. Already, your Winchester and Campbell bloodlines make you powerful. But now…Human, angel, and demon are strong in your veins. I can make you great, Elijah. I can take away your human mortality and make you the most feared angel in all of Heaven. All you have to do is say the word."

It was so tempting; Eli knew that Seruf was confident in his offer. Just a word, and the name Elijah could become legendary. No more humanity and no more being stuck as a pathetically adorable eight-year-old.

But there was still the life that he would leave behind He had his parents, his sisters, his cousins, and his uncles. There would be no more good times; no more moments of pure and untainted childhood. No more having his dads kiss his wounds when he fell and skinned his knees, even when he knew he could heal himself anyways. No more playing pranks on Damaris, Jess, and Madison.

No more family.

No more love.

Just power.

"I…" he began, but then something beside him stirred. Eli looked down and saw that Sam and Dean, his dad and uncle, were sprawled out on the elaborately tiled floor. Both of the brothers were stirring.

"Ah, so the rest of our guests are waking," Seruf chuckled with a hint of annoyance, and his disembodied voice grated on Eli's young ears.

"What – What the hell is going on?" Sam stammered groggily as he struggled to sit up, flicking his long hair out of his face with a quick toss of his head. His bleary hazel eyes focused on his only son. "Eli? Are you okay?"

"Dad, I'm fine."

The rest of the Winchesters were waking. Damaris blinked her amber eyes open, and Jessica soon followed suit with her own hazel orbs. Both of the girls helped Emily, Madison, and Joshua stand up. As they joined Sam and Dean, the family locked eyes with Eli.

"When did _you_ wake up?" Jessica asked suspiciously.

"Earlier on," Elijah answered evasively. "Where are our other dads?"

Dean, having finally noticed the fact that a certain trenchcoat-clad angel and a certain bitchy archangel were MIA, muttered, "Son of a bitch." He glanced at his younger brother. "Can we call them?"

Eli could hear Seruf's amused chuckle from the direction of the unoccupied throne, but apparently no one else did, because Sam replied, "Lemme try." The hunter closed his eyes and, soon after, a frenzied rustle of feathers filled the throne room.

"What happened?" Castiel immediately demanded. "Did he make you into angels yet?"

"No!" Seruf's voice laughed, and suddenly a humanoid being of light appeared next to the throne. "Ah, the Winchester clan is gathered once more."

Damaris whimpered and hid behind Gabriel, who snarled, "It's been a long time, Seruf. Eight years and just now you want my family to become full angels?"

"They belong to _me_, Gabriel!" Seruf hissed. "My brand on little Damaris's wings proves it. And if I want the Winchesters to become angels, then they will become angels! They are mine, so I will finish the job." The being raised his arms and light arced from his body, exploding outward and making every Winchester scream in agony. The angel hounds, Prophet, Metallica, Loki, Goliath, Solis, and Genesis, who'd been sitting silently, began to howl as well as the light grew to blinding.

Elijah screwed his eyes shut against the blast of holy radiance, but he squeezed them even tighter when a burning pain shot through his body like liquid fire. The internal flames licked at his veins, spreading and destroying any remaining vestiges of humanity in his body. It sparked with the electricity of a new power. This was the warring, explosive combination of angel and demon that eternally would clash and send up waves of destructive power. It was the ultimate pain, the ultimate transformation–

Power.

Unhindered by petty human needs.

Angel and demon, united in one body.

Nothing but power.

Elijah Luke Winchester, the youngest son of Samuel Winchester and the archangel Gabriel.

Elijah Luke Winchester, the angel.

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><p>All records of what happened that day have been destroyed. It has been 2,000 years since the Turning, as historians call it. The aftermath, however, has become a legend.<p>

Dean Winchester became the leader of New Haven, the place that used to be North and South America before the Earth had been leveled by the force of Seruf making the Winchesters angels. Dean was the Enforcer, the Lionhearted Warrior. He ruled beside his family on Earth.

Castiel Winchester was the joint leader of New Haven. He sat on the throne next to his husband. Castiel was the voice of reason in the monarchy.

Joshua Winchester was the Crown Prince and the High Knight of New Haven. He was the bane of Heaven and led the elite group of knights that hunted and killed the angels that invaded Earth.

Emily Winchester was the Crown Princess of New Haven and the High Advisor to the Kings. She was the most respected woman on Earth.

All were angels. The flag of New Haven flew with the insignia of outstretched wings expanding from a pentagram.

Sam Winchester went on to rule Hell. His demonic and angelic powers allowed him to conquer any who rose up against him. He made it into a place that accepted the good and the bad humans, now that Heaven had become a violent problem for both Earth and Hell.

Gabriel Winchester, the snarky archangel, became the man in charge of punishing Hell's worst. He made them see and feel the worst things that could ever happen. He and his husband were the most feared and beloved of Hell.

The twins, Jessica and Damaris, were the mercenaries between New Haven and Hell. Their wings carried them everywhere and just the sight of them meant friendship and the everlasting alliance between families.

Madison Winchester was the Enforcer of Hell. Her innocent looks masked a fierce hatred for evildoers, traitors, and invaders. She answered only to her parents.

As for Elijah Luke Winchester...

His name is taboo in New Haven and Hell. All humans know of his legacy and his betrayal.

Elijah is the most feared angel in Heaven. He had become a seraph to take the place of Vehuiah in the ranks of the Host. He had taken Heaven to the next step as a power and had made it the most feared territory in existence. God and the angels are no longer welcome in the universe.

But he had the power he'd been looking for.

Wasn't that the whole point in the end?

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><p>And Elijah watched the peace of New Haven and Hell from Heaven, his wings drooping in fury, anger, anguish, and misery.<p>

His family-

Gone.

Love-

Gone.

His entire childhood-

Obliterated.

_But_, that voice of insanity whispered inside of him, _isn't this what you wanted, Eli? Didn't you want to be the most powerful?_

_Didn't you want to be remembered?_

_Didn't you want to be the best in the world?_

"No," he whispered to himself. "I didn't want this to happen at all." A tear slipped from his amber eyes and fell through the layers of Heaven, falling to Earth as a single drop that represented all of his regret, guilt, and personal hell without his family.

He turned away, spreading his wings to fly to the highest level of Heaven. Seruf turned from where he was lecturing a young angel and watched as his youngest recruit approached. "Elijah," he welcomed the young seraph warmly, dismissing the other angel in the room with a wave of his hand. "What is it?"

"I'm dissatisfied with my life here in Heaven," Eli began, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I made a mistake when I swore my allegiance to you and to Heaven and left my family. They made the right and just decision by escaping from Heaven to live lives of free will. I want to be with my family in Hell and New Haven."

Seruf smirked coldly. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Elijah."

Eli glared up at the seraph with calm, controlled eyes. "Then make it possible," he replied with equal chill.

Seruf was on him in an instant. "You insolent brat," he hissed. "I made you what you are now. I gave you _everything_! And now you are trying to leave?" He manifested his great sword, letting it crackle with holy fire. "Elijah Luke _Winchester_," he spat, layering scorn and hatred into his pronounciation of Eli's last name. "You Winchesters have ruined everything! Your fathers especially!"

Eli struggled beneath Seruf's firm hand, searching for purchase in the fabric of Heaven. "Get off," he snarled, manifesting his angel blade, a deadly weapon forged from holy steel and bathed in the blood of the enemies of Heaven. He kept a firm grip on the hilt made from human bones. "Don't make me say it again," he warned Seruf.

The older seraph laughed cruelly, curling a hand around Eli's neck and beginning to squeeze. "You don't have Daddy to save you now, Elijah!" he laughed hysterically, hate spitting from the flames that were his eyes. "Nobody loves you enough to save your sorry life!"

"I said," Eli growled calmly, "GET OFF!"

Seruf began to smile harshly, but then the blast that was Elijah's true voice hit him like a hammer to the face. He was knocked from Eli's form, landing with a grunt at the foot of the throne of God. He struggled to rise, scrambling for his blade frantically as Eli slowly approached. The youngest Winchester child was leisurely swinging his angelic blade in his hands. "Get back!" Seruf ordered. He was shaken. No seraph had ever bested him like this.

"I'm a Winchester, Seruf." Elijah smiled coldly, swinging his blade back and forth hypnotically. "My family doesn't do well with orders."

Seruf scrambled backwards, trying to find a place to hide. He clambered onto God's throne, seeking solace in the seat of his Lord. He hoped it held the power to stop this young seraph.

Eli's eyebrows went up; he couldn't believe the stupidity of his superior. "Oh, Seruf," he sighed. "Don't you remember what you taught me?"

"What?" Seruf's voice was once again smug and under control.

"No child of God may take His throne without His divine favor," Eli replied patronizingly. "Or else that child shall be smited by God and His servants."

Seruf's eyes widened; he'd made a grave mistake. "No," he muttered. "No, no, NO!"

"Yes," Elijah replied. In his heart, he felt bad for Seruf for what was about to happen. But then again, he'd made the lives of the Winchesters miserable. "When you die," he announced to Seruf, "I hope you go to Hell." Then he lunged and stabbed Seruf through the heart.

Seruf howled and clawed at the blade, but it was embedded deep in his true form. The throne room began to rumble, and deafening thunder crashed on the ears of the two seraphim in the throne room. Eli and Seruf looked up to the roof of the throne room, and a massive bolt of supercharged lightning descended from above God's throne. it made contact with Eli's blade, sending up sparks and sending the brute force of the electricity into Seruf's body. Tendrils of Grace arced from Seruf's convulsing body, illuminating the chamber with a small lightning storm. Seruf stopped seizing for a brief moment and stared directly at Elijah, screaming words of hatred and pleading for forgiveness from his Father at the same time as his Grace continued to slowly and agonizingly escape from his body.

"Goodbye, Seruf," Eli whispered and, with his powers, twisted the blade that still rested in Seruf's heart.

The seraph threw back his head and screamed out his demise to the universe as Grace burst from his eyes, his nose, his mouth; every single pore in his body burned with holy fire as the oldest seraph in Heaven died with an explosion of power that shook Heaven and Earth. Eli had to cover his eyes as the blinding light filled the throne room.

When he opened them again, the throne was unoccupied by any form. His holy blade lay at the foot of the throne, steaming and half-molten. The only remaining vestige of Seruf was scorched across the expanse of the massive throne room. Jet-black wingprints stretched from behind the throne and circled around the entire room so that the wingtips met just above the door to the chamber.

Elijah slowly strode forward and picked up his holy sword. The bloodstained metal was now smooth and mirrored as a diamond, and a web of lightning imprints were seared into the angelic steel. It was a mark of God's favor and power. "Freedom," Eli whispered. He closed his eyes and imagined his family, envisioning their familiar faces. He raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled. Solis, Eli's loyal hound, bounded into the throne room in a heartbeat and rushed to his master's side. He blinked up at Eli with utter trust and love. "We're going to see our family now, boy," Eli murmured to the dog.

He whistled again and spread his wings, flying down to the lowest level of Heaven and looking through the glassy layer of holy matter to see Earth, blue and green and utterly majestic. Hell's fires seemed to show through in the volcanoes and flames on Earth, peeking out as a gateway between the allied worlds. Next to Eli, Solis whined in anticipation. Elijah glanced down at the canine with a smile. "That's right, boy," he murmured.

"We're going home."

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><p><strong>So, is this better? I'm adding an epilogue sooner or later, so this isn't the end! <strong>


	25. Schrödinger's Cat

**Hi, guys! Wow, I am so sorry about the complications with chapter 24. That did not end well; I'm sorry. But: Before you read this: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE UPDATED END OF CHAPTER 24, THEN DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER YET! Okay? Thanks! So this is really almost the end. Like, one chapter away from the epilogue end. **

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill.**

**Also: A word about the chapter title: Schrödinger's Cat. This theory is, in a nutshell: If you keep a cat in a box for a while, you'll never know if it's alive or dead unless you open the box. Until then, the cat is both alive and dead. So I'm likening that to Eli. He's the cat. His family doesn't know if he's still their Eli or a twisted Eli, and they never will until they meet him. Just saying.**

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><p>Jessica Winchester, Princess of Hell and mercenary between Hell and New Haven, was slacking off. She sat on a hill in a small corner of New Haven, letting the sunlight soothe the cramps from her travel-worn wings. She'd just delivered a message from her father, Sam, to her Uncle Castiel.<p>

It'd been 2,000 years since she'd aged a day. Of course, she could alter her human body to look like anything or anyone that she wanted to, but her original form had never aged. It had also been two millennia since she'd seen her little baby brother, Elijah Luke. To her, it was pathetic that she could barely remember her brother's face anymore. The only thing she knew of Eli was that he had become the most feared seraph in Heaven. His name was no longer allowed to be spoken without fear of punishment, so the fallen Winchester was merely known as the Dark Angel.

The Earth shook once.

Then again, stronger this time.

Then Jessica's eyes rose to the sky as she caught sight of a flash of light. A blast ripped through the peaceful air of New Haven, echoed by a terrible scream. It was like the sound of an angel as it died, but far, far worse. The light in the sky grew brighter until it burst in on itself with a loud crackle of thunder, then all was silent again.

Jess stood up at once, scanning the landscape of New Haven and seeing no visible threat. All she saw was the inhabitants of Earth coming out of their homes and checking for any danger as well. Her mind was abuzz with the voices of her family as they strove to find the source of the disturbance.

_What the hell was that? _Naturally, that was Dean.

Sam interjected, _Dean, it wasn't anything in Hell. No earthquake or...God forbid, the Cage breaking._

_A-Okay down here, Dean-o! _Jessica laughed at the cocky reply from her other father, who seemed to live for the sole purpose of pissing Dean off.

_It wasn't anything up here, either. _That was Castiel, and his thoughtful voice soothed his husband. _Can one of your girls go check it out? It's obviously something up in Heaven, and I'd send my son, but Joshua and the knights are busy interrogating another angel right now._

_I'll do it! _Jessica excitedly entered the conversation. _I'll take care of it!_

_Just don't do anything stupid, okay? Any carnage you create falls down on my turf._

Jess sighed. _Yes, Uncle Dean._

She spread her wings and flew to the only gateway between New Haven and Heaven. All other contact between the two worlds had been blocked ages ago. She landed at the golden, barbed-wire covered gates with barely a sound, seeming to appear suddenly before the two gun-wielding guards that stood watch.

The two men immediately fell to their knees at the sight of one of Hell's three princesses. "Your Highness," they murmured reverently. "Why do we have the honor of being in your presence?"

"Get up, you idiots," Jess snapped. "I don't have time for all of this worshipping." She tapped her foot impatiently as the two guards struggled to their feet, laden down with heavy metal armor. "So I take it you experienced something from Heaven over here?"

The smarter-looking guard spoke up. "Your Highness, there was an explosion, but there has been nothing since then."

"No angels seeking refuge here?" Jess asked.

"No, Your Highness."

Jessica nodded thoughtfully. She peered through the gates and checked for any sign of attacking hordes of angels fleeing from a possibly damaged world. She'd almost turned away to give the all-clear to Dean when she saw two figures running down the tunnel that connected the two worlds, headed towards New Haven. Both were golden silhouettes, but only one looked humanoid. Immediately, Jess manifested her holy sword, a long blade of polished golden steel with Enochian engravings along it. "Open the gates," she ordered sharply.

The guards' mouths dropped open. "But, Your Highness-!" they protested.

Jess turned and gave the men a cold, penetrating stare. "Open. The gates," she repeated calmly.

The two men scrambled to run to the great bronze lever that would pry open the golden gates. The twin doors swung open with a creak that showed evidence of disuse. Jessica hefted her blade and squared her shoulders, preparing for the two angels that approached. As they drew closer, their forms solidified into those of a teenaged boy with curly blond hair and amber eyes and a massive golden retriever that bounded by the boy's side. "Hello!" the boy called, and Jess was surprised by the amount of sincerity and hope in the angel's voice.

"I order you to identify yourself under the power of the monarchies of New Haven and Hell!" Jess ordered.

The angel and his dog drew nearer to Jess so that they were just a foot from the gates. "I'm Elijah, and this is Solis," the angel introduced himself.

"Elijah?" Jess gasped. "Elijah Luke Winchester, the Dark Angel?" Behind her, the guards bristled and raised their guns, but Jess held up her hand to halt their movements.

"Yes, I am Elijah." The angel looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I'd like to speak with King Samuel and King Gabriel, if that's not too much trouble."

"Eli," Jess whispered, walking towards her brother, "Don't you recognize me?"

The teenaged angel cocked his head to the side, realization dawning in his time-worn eyes. "Jess?" he asked quietly, tears bubbling up in his amber eyes with relief.

"I'm right here, little brother," Jess replied, quickly closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around her baby brother. She was sobbing, he was sobbing, and Solis was jumping around excitedly, barking up a storm as he licked every part of the Winchester siblings that he could reach. "I thought that you'd have gone evil by now," Jess wept into Eli's shoulder. "You left us for Seruf!"

Eli carefully and warily put his own arms around his sister, embracing her shaking form. "I know," he whispered into Jessica's hair. "I killed him. That was the explosion."

Jess detached herself from her brother and stepped back, wiping her eyes slowly. "This is big news," she muttered to herself. She looked to Eli. "Just give me a second, okay?" she asked, and Eli nodded his affirmation. Jess closed her eyes and sent out a message to her whole family, except for Eli, of course, who was, as of yet, out of the loop. _All of you, immediately gather in Hell's throne room. I have huge news for all of you._

_This had better be good, _Madison's annoyed voice chimed through Jess's head like a bell. _I was in the middle of torturing the soul of that one guy who tried to kill Uncle Dean three hundred years ago._

_Trust me. You won't be sorry, _Jess assured her sister. Then she grabbed Eli's hand. "I take it that Solis knows how to tag along when you fly?" she inquired.

Eli nodded. "I taught him a while ago."

"Good." Jess looked to the dumbfounded guards. "Well?" she demanded. "Close the damned gates!" She laughed to herself as the two idiots scrambled to pull at the lever to the gates. Then she looked to Eli with barely concealed amusement. "You ready?" she asked.

Her little brother swallowed nervously. "Kind of." He glanced at Jess. "We didn't exactly part on the best terms, you know."

"Tell me about it," Jess muttered under her breath, but then she steeled herself, squeezed Eli's hand, and spread her wings. They took off at once, soaring across New Haven and down into the depths of Hell. She passed through the flames easily, knowing that this fire could not hurt her. "Just calm down!" she shouted to Eli over the roar of the flames. "I'm going to make you and Solis invisible for now, okay?"

Eli nodded with a tight-lipped expression. Jess squeezed her brother's hand again and watched him disappear. She flew into the castle that was her home, swerving through the halls to alight in the massive throne room. Already, Sam and Gabriel were seated in the identical thrones that showed the joint leadership of Hell. Dean and Castiel were sitting in smaller thrones to the left side of the rulers of Hell. Damaris and Madison were already seated in their own thrones to the right of their fathers, and there was Jess's empty throne and then a single other throne next to Madison's. That throne held no purpose other than to be the symbolic representation of the Dark Angel.

"Jess!" Gabriel greeted his oldest daughter. "So what's the big news?"

Jess shuffled her feet nervously and looked up at her parents; Sam's eyes, though soft, were expectant, which always was a bad sign if Jess didn't fulfill Sam's expectations. "I went to the gateway between New Haven and Heaven. There was no damage, and the guards there only reported seeing and hearing an explosion."

"That's the big news?" Dean asked in boredom; he was picking at the engravings in his silver throne.

"No!" Jess exclaimed indignantly. She regained eye contact with Gabriel and Sam and continued. "I was about to leave when I saw two figures approaching New Haven from Heaven. I opened the gates and ordered them to tell me their names. The angel, in the form of a boy, answered me like this." She released the invisibility that she held over Eli and Solis. She nudged Eli, prompting him.

Eli looked up at his family with wide, terrified amber eyes. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Well?" Sam demanded. "What's your name?" He had no love for angels that were not in his family.

Eli shrank back in fear and into Jess's arms. She squeezed his shoulders from behind and he raised his head to meet the hard gaze of Sam. "I told her that my name was Elijah. Elijah Luke Winchester."

Every Winchester's head immediately snapped up and fixated on the curly-haired angel in the center of the throne room. They were all frozen, focused on the single seraph. "Eli?" Sam spoke up first, asking the question in lightning speed like he was fearing the answer would not be what he'd hoped.

Elijah nodded.

In a heartbeat, every single member of the Winchester Royal Family was on Eli, trying to get at every inch of the angel who was their son or cousin or brother or nephew or master. They all crowded in to that single spot, wings extended and touching as the Winchesters were a family again for the first time in two millennia.

They stayed together as a circle, the wayward son at the epicenter of it all.

Nobody asked how, or why.

Nobody asked what had happened to make Elijah come back and try to redeem himself.

They didn't need to.

Not in this moment.

It was too much of a chick flick moment to ruin.

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><p><strong>Wow. That was...excrutiating. Please review! I know you thought it was the end, but...Anakaraya Ravenclaw, you told it to me as the cold, hard truth. My ending sucked. So I'm fixing it. REVIEW! :)<strong>


	26. Finale B

**Okay. Here we go. This is it. The final stretch. Let's hope I don't ruin this story on its last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Say it with me, kids!**

**Also: Finale B is from _Rent_, the best musical ever. Just saying.**

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><p>Finale B- Epilogue<p>

This was Heaven.

This life, this existence in Hell and Earth, this was Heaven.

Paradise.

He had been forgiven. All was forgiven.

So now Elijah could enjoy himself.

Every day, he'd wake up and meet Madison at the gates to Hell's castle. He would grip his older sister's hand tightly and they'd both spread their wings, shooting down into the flaming depths of Perdition with no fear of damaged wings. They had no need for fear. This was their kingdom.

They'd arrive at that familiar secluded corner of Hell, the bad part where all of the worst creations were kept. He'd walk with her to a rack made from spikes and would observe the soul that had been tied to it with meat hooks and barbed wire.

Each day, Eli would torture Seruf.

It didn't matter how; this was just the revenge that he needed, the acts that sent his demon blood pounding and his angel Grace singing. He'd promised Seruf that the seraph would only be tortured for a thousand years, and then his soul would be released to join the souls of other dead angels. It was a fair deal, considering what Seruf had done.

It was just fine with him.

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><p>The six of them sat on that hill in that corner of New Haven where Jess had sat decades earlier, on <em>that<em> day. Jessica Faith, Damaris Grace, Madison Lenore, Elijah Luke, Joshua Exodus, and Emily Hope.

All royalty. All angels. All with that same Winchester-Campbell streak in them that made them the most stubborn and self-sacrificing family in all of creation.

Joshua laid back and rested his raven-black-topped head on Prophet's stomach. The massive canine glanced down at his master briefly before lowering his own head. For a while, the other five Winchester kids watched Josh, just waiting for somebody to say something. After three hours of pure silence, Madison picked at a blade of grass and said,

"It's been a while."

The others hummed in agreement, just sitting there again and letting the heavy silence fall again like snow.

"What was it like?" Madison spoke up again. She locked eyes with Eli, who ducked his head nervously and played anxiously with Solis's long golden fur. He looked up again with miserable eyes after a few minutes, meeting the expectant gazes of his family.

"Being up there as a seraph?"

Five heads nodded.

He looked down again, then manifested his angel blade and set it on the grass in front of him. Upon contact with the sword's silvery metal, the grass seemed to shrink away, as if it feared contact with the blade. Eli murmured, "You see? This sword shows it all. It's seen and caused the deaths of so many angels and demons and innocent humans. It's so blackened by its sins that any good part of it is completely hidden. That's like me. The world is still afraid of me, despite the fact that I've been forgiven." He met his family's gazes with intense amber eyes. "I hated it up there. It was fun at the start, exhilirating even, but then I realized that I was just a pawn and a murderer. So I came back."

"You're not a bad person, Eli," Emily insisted, nudging her cousin's shoulder affectionately. "You still have us, no matter how the rest of the world sees you."

Eli smiled, a radiant beacon that set off grins all around. "Yeah," he laughed. "I'll always have you guys."

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><p>They were laying there, staring up at the ceiling and wrapped in each other's arms. As if in a parody of years before, their wings encircled each other, but this time the feather were an explosion of color. Soft, silky feathers seemed to burn with liquid fire, tinted with jet-black tendrils of smoke. The fiery cocoons cushioned the bodies of the kings of Hell.<p>

"Gabriel?" Sam murmured into his lover's hair, barely breathing out the name.

The archangel, long since addicted to to Sam's touch, hummed into the embrace. "Yeah?"

"Do we have to live forever?"

Gabriel was silent for a long time. "I don't know," he admitted. "I mean, we're technically immortal, so I don't see why we can't live forever. But I want the kids to rule Hell eventually; maybe they'll get us grandkids eventually."

Sam groaned out a laugh as he tightened his grip on Gabriel's waist. "Don't make me feel old," he warned good-naturedly. "I'm not ready for that."

"Don't bring up the concept of our immortality, and we have a deal." Gabriel's eyebrows went up imperceptibly, and a smirk widened on his lips as he turned his head to look at Sam. "Do you remember how demons seal deals, Sammy? Do ya?"

Sam smiled as he grabbed his angel by the shoulders and rolled the two of them over so that Gabriel lay on top of him. "I don't know," he whispered. "I must've forgotten in my old age. You're going to have to teach that to me again." He pulled Gabriel down for a searing kiss, lips melting together, mouths moving in slow and lazy unison. Gabriel broke the kiss, hovering millimeters from Sam's lips.

"Don't worry, Sammy," he replied, letting one of his hands caress Sam's silky hair and wings. He grinned mischievously. "We have eternity for me to teach you."

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><p>Dean sat behind Castiel in their bed, running his fingers through some of the crooked feathers in his lover's glorious blue-green wings. "You know, Cas, you should really stop trying to do battle practice when you have your wings out." He quickly yanked a wing joint back into its socket.<p>

Hissing past the flare of pain, Castiel replied, "You were the one that suggested it, Dean." He shifted and rustled his right wing cautiously, testing its strength. "This one is fixed. Go on to the left one."

"Whatever you say," Dean sighed as he scooched over on the bed to examine the left appendage. The feathers on this side were far more mangled than on the right wing, and there was obviously some major joint displacement. "Damn," he muttered, grabbing the two biggest bones in the wing. "Hold on tight. This'll be a painful one." He pushed the two bones back together in a single fluid motion.

Castiel screamed in agony, thrashing on the bed in throes of pain. "Dammit, that hurt!" he shouted out hoarsely. "Even worse than the last time!" He glared back at Dean with annoyance in his pained eyes. "I am going to make you do the next battle practice with _your_ wings out and see how _you_ like it," he pouted.

Dean smiled indulgently and smoothed down the feathers in Castiel's wing, loving the way that his dark-haired angel shuddered at every touch. "Of course, Cas," he whispered into the perfect shell of Castiel's ear. "Anything for you."

Castiel turned and faced Dean, watching him while just sitting cross-legged with his head cocked to the side. "You've always loved to use my wings to your advantage," he commented. "Right from the very start."

The hunter-turned-angel-turned-ruler raised an eyebrow. "And?" he prompted.

"I was always wondering what would've happened if _I'd_ been the human fixing _your_ wings that night. I always wondered if you would've reacted the same way that I did." Castiel slowly pushed Dean into the pillows as he spoke, watching as Dean's wings extended outward like a bird's silhouette. He crawled up over Dean's waiting body and paused with his face just inches from Dean's. "I always was curious about how sensitive your wings are, from the second I saw them on you. You were always the one touching _my_ wings, never the other way around. Always."

"So what's your point?" Dean's green eyes were smiling now.

Castiel grinned, pulling Dean in for a heated kiss. "It's my turn now."

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><p><strong>The (Official) End<strong>

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><p><strong>Good Lord, this story had killed me. It took months to finish, but here it is. All done and ready for the whole internet to see. <strong>

**I'd like to thank EVERYBODY who ever reviewed this story with compliments and suggestions and, in some cases, a good dose of constructive criticism. You have all been wonderful to me and kept this story going! Also, I'm sending out a special 'thank you' to the WONDERFUL Anakaraya Ravenclaw, without whom these last three chapters would not exist!**

**So this is it for Heaven's Little Angels Have a Dark Side. It's been a long, hard road, but here we are at the end. Just like that.**

**Once again, thank you all! You've been a wonderful bunch of readers and reviewers!**

**So for the last time, I'm asking you guys to review this story. Just to see what you think. It would mean so much to me. Thanks!**

**-ImpalaAngel13**


	27. Yes, This is an author's note

Hi. Guess what.

SEQUEL!

Yes, I have begun a sequel to this story. It's called Hide and Seek, and the first chapter has OFFICIALLY been posted. So if you want, you guys can go see it now. Have fun.


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